From Dark To Light
by Whozawhatcha
Summary: Mewtwo falls for a Gardevoir, but hesitates to reveal any of his past to her, considering the circumstances. However, his past and Team Rocket do catch up to him, and how will they manage? And with strife with this Gardevoir's mother, how will they continue to be together? What are her true motives for keeping her daughter from this mysterious pokemon?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

**Let me clarify what this story is about before you read it.**

**Yes, it is about Mewtwo falling in love with a Gardevoir, my own OC. But I don't want to make it too . . . angsty. But it will end up being like an angst anyway because that's kinda Mewtwo's character the more you got into the second movie of his.**

**I am taking ALL the sides of Mewtwo into account. I'm considering every angle when I am writing him from _Pokemon Movie 1_, _Mewtwo Strikes Back_, and that movie with Amber. Think about that for a second.**

**Anyway, I'll try to keep Mewtwo in . . . character. His character is a bit hard for me considering the fact that he has multiple sides to himself. He's got that almost tender side for his clones, I suspect he's kinda father-like figure to them, but also extremely protective . . . But he's also extremely ruthless as we saw in movie one. I saw a bit of that other movie of him when he was young with that girl Amber . . . I won't configure her into the story, but I am taking into consideration how he acted around her and the way he lost her, the way he responded to these things.**  
><strong>Also, somewhere in him he's related closely to Mew, and that will come up into the picture. I also suspect that he's got SOME sort of playful side to him as that's the only side we see of Mew in the anime.<strong>

**So in short, you will get lots of protective Mewtwo, lots of tender Mewtwo, lots of violent Mewtwo, and maybe a bit of a roguish Mewtwo.**

**These first chapters are much slower as there is literally NOTHING going on but everyday life, but the plot will thicken soon. There is romance as you'll see explicitly at first, Mewtwo hiding things from Leila (my OC) and his secretive ways, but also I promise that there will be IMMENSE amounts of violence. I want this to be a well-rounded story and not just a mush ball of gooey stuff. I promise greatly detailed and slaved over portions of intense battling. Enjoy them, because I do too ;)**

**Also if anyone wants to know, about Leila. She is . . . cute. Innocent to a fault. Fragile, blah blah, you'll meet her and understand fully if you read this. Almost Mary-Sue(ish), but I'm going to round out her character so she's not so perfect and cute. With Mewtwo around, she'll be facing her share of trials, as well as what will go on with her life. I will not neglect my character. Besides that, I always envision Leila as one of those people in the pretty sundresses below their knees, white gloves, a parasol or floppy hat to shield her from the sun, a fan to hide her smile as if it's improper-lolz. that's how I see Leila. She's cute. By the time you get the next chapter, I will have more of her backstory and character on the plate. It's a bit neglected in this chapter, but it is just the first chapter. Let me warm up my writing skills and let my fingers burn the story to the keys.**

**(long author comment is long . . . sorry)**

* * *

><p>Mewtwo felt the presence a split instant before he teleported away. Hidden by the trees, he stared out at the ravine he had just recently been in, a waterfall spilling down into a pond. It had been a quite place for him to think, but now, someone was intruding his space. Again.<p>

The Gardevoir ran out into the open, twirling this way and that as she looked for him. "Yoo-hoo!" he heard her call, and he inwardly groaned. "Sir? Sir, where did you go?" Her skirt flared out as she turned, displaying long and lean legs.

He could have been gone by now. He didn't have to stand here and watch her make a fool of herself, but he found himself stopped by . . . curiosity.

Mewtwo tossed a furtive glance around, as if afraid someone would find him weak like this in his curiosity, and returned his gaze to the Gardevoir searching for him. If showing interest in a completely random pokemon was bad, it would only be made worse if someone saw him. For, she HAD caught his interest like nothing else had his entire life, and he peered out at her, assessing her. Her skirt was full, not split like several Gardevoir skirts were split, and she was small—frail. She didn't look like she had seen a hard day of work in her life.

She was beautiful. That much was clear to even Mewtwo himself. The faint breeze that washed through the area tugged at her skirt, letting it flow in the wind. The natural way it happened only accentuated her beauty, and he found himself looking unconsciously closer. Her wrists were so narrow . . . That they could be so narrow astounded him, like if she threw out her hands to catch her fall that they wouldn't be strong enough to withstand the shock of hitting the ground, and they would splinter under her light weight, broken.

The red, fin-like horns on her chest and back were much smaller than the average Gardevoir—they were just slight and little bumps on her, and he knew that you could give this Gardevoir a tight hug without those horns poking into you. They accented her small waist, and the curls that cradled her head swooped low around her neck, covering her face except for her coral/pink eyes.

He couldn't understand why she was so friendly to him. And why was she so doggedly looking for a stranger whom she didn't even know? If any pokemon happened to see him, most didn't stay around to . . . try to make conversation. They understood by one glance that he was dangerous somehow, that he had a past and present that screamed he shouldn't be trifled with.

She cupped her hands to her mouth. "Hell-oooooooo! Sir?" She was fragile, breakable. It looked as if something as weak as a mere Magikarp could knock her over and leave her gasping for breath. How had she managed to evolve? He heard her sigh. "Oh, dear, he must be shy . . ." Then, she leaned on her knees, calling out as sweet as possible, "Come out. I'm not going to hurt you." Mewtwo scoffed inwardly to himself—like she could possibly hurt a fly, much less him! "Come on, dear. Can't I talk with you? Hello?"

Mewtwo scowled to himself. Why was he sitting here, wasting his time watching her? He could have been long gone instead of watching her like this. Deciding he wasn't going to waste a minute here longer, Mewtwo prepared himself to teleport.

But somewhere in him, he knew he didn't have to prepare himself to teleport. Maybe he was dragging it out as long as he could to watch her as she kept trying to find him. At that thought, he started to teleport, but stopped short when he heard her gasp.

He skulked around in the trees as he fought for a better view. She had whirled around, staring with wide eyes as a pokemon trainer entered the quiet realm. The trainer perked up immediately, crying out, "All right! A Gardevoir! It's my lucky day!"

She took a step back from him, raising her hands. "Oh, wait, please . . . I don't want—"

"Go, Beautifly!"

He was planning on catching her. Mewtwo grunted to himself, turning to leave again when he heard her cry out, "Please, no, I don't want to be caught!"

He halted.

But, the human trainer couldn't understand the pokemon language. "Beautifly, use Poison Sting!"

Mewtwo felt himself turning around when he heard her scream, seeing her duck beneath the attack. "All right, Psychic!" he heard her cry, and he watched as she thrust her arms out to attack ferociously—and nothing happened. "Oh, no, no . . . Please, a Confusion at least?" She tried again, thrusting her arms out again, and this time a faint ripple of psychic ability washed through the area—it made the Beautifly push back a little, as if hit by a gentle breeze, flapping its wings to catch the draft of wind in the area.

Mewtwo felt disgust rise in him. She was completely weak! Weak on a level that was beyond him as she backed away fearfully from the trainer. But even as he felt appalled at how weak she was, he found that protective nature in him rise—a protective nature that was reserved for only Mew, and his clone pokemon. She wasn't a part of his clones, she wasn't Mew, and yet he felt himself feeling that intense PROTECTIVNESS for her. A simple Gust hit her, knocking her to the ground. The Gardevoir curled up when a pokeball was thrown at her, a hand coming up in fright to ward it away.

The pokeball never made it to the prospective pokemon. It floated there with a Psychic, and Mewtwo felt himself taking an inner thrill at the look on the Gardevoir's face when she saw what she thought she was doing. Then, he slowly closed his hand, letting the ball crack and splinter like cheap plastic before letting the remains of it fall to the ground.

The Gardevoir clapped a hand to her face, standing uncertainly. The look on the pokemon trainer's face was more than priceless. Mewtwo watched as the boy cried, "Beautifly, Giga Drain!"

The Gardevoir cried out, shoving her hands out again in the effort to repel the attack with her feebly weak Confusion, and Mewtwo intervened again. He let the boy and his Beautifly have it, turning the Gardevoir's pathetic attack into a monstrosity. The Psychic he attacked with was so massive that it knocked the grass blades flat, smashed into the Beautifly so hard it was knocked out in one hit, and threw both the fallen butterfly and boy into the nearest trees. The Gardevoir squeaked in shock, hands covering her mouth as if she were afraid of her own small sounds, and the boy shook his head free of stars. When he saw her, his eyes widened, and he gave a cry as he scooped up his fainted Beautifly and ran away.

Mewtwo chuckled to himself when the Gardevoir looked at her hands, then looked around, saying, "H-hello . . . ?" Then, after a moments more hesitation, she ran off.

He considered going after her. She had seen him after all—he should probably erase that particular memory of hers, just to be on the safe side. But . . . Mewtwo shook his head to himself. She was hardly a threat. And as he went on his way, he would never see her again, and she was likely to soon forget him as well.

* * *

><p>It was over a month later since the mishap with the Gardevoir. Mewtwo found himself wandering again, and he found no point to the ceaseless wandering, the ceaseless wondering. He walked along the edges of the cliff side of Meteor Falls, lonely. He could return to his city, the city he had all but claimed as his since the last time Giovanni had tried to capture him, but there was only so much he could do there. And, despite helping the innocents there and all but becoming a strange and wondrous legend in their eyes, he felt empty.<p>

What was he supposed to DO with his life? He clenched his hands in pointless anger, helpless rage broiling inside him. Maybe Giovanni had been right. Maybe the only reason for his existence was to serve the humans—without them to give him strife, he had nothing.

The clone pokemon had went their own ways, sought to live their own lives. Mewtwo didn't stop them. He owed them their freedom. And in giving them their freedom, releasing them from his care, he was left with nothing yet again.

Mewtwo stopped on the side of the small mountain, turning to stare up at the sun. It was too bright to look at. But the moon—it only reflected that light. A simple copy, not half as bright as the original. Faulty. Flawed. Worthless.

He had no purpose. Just raw strength that would be a terror if unleashed on the wrong and unsuspecting parties.

"Oh! There you are, sir!"

Mewtwo jerked his head up, staring in shock at the Gardevoir. She was breathless—winded from running. He almost thought to ask her the problem when he saw it himself—an Onix scudding the cliff side right behind her; its Hyperbeam crashing aimlessly on the ground next to her. She shrieked, the blast knocking her off the edge of the bluff and plummeting to the hard ground below. Rocks from the escarpment fell after her, and Mewtwo snapped into action.

He teleported down to the helpless Gardevoir, catching her in his arms. He then slowed their decent until his feet touched the ground, catching the falling rocks and stacking them as safely as possible so they would hurt no one. Then, he was finally able to look down at the catch in his arms.

His heart skipped a beat—it was as if a butterfly had landed on him, so fragile and rare that he was afraid the slightest move would scare her away. She was clutching him tight, staring up at the Onix that roared down at them. Mewtwo felt his tail twitch; and looking down on the pretty Gardevoir he had saved only a month ago, stated, "It seems danger follows you on a regular basis."

The Gardevoir looked up with wide eyes at him. It seemed she was torn between crying or staying in shock, but finally dropped her head with a small giggle. She was laughing?

"Yes, it seems it does," she said surprisingly light, peeking up at him from under her lashes. "It's a wonder that I'm still in one piece!"

Mewtwo felt his lip pull slightly. That she could make light of this impressed him, and he let her down as she scrambled from his arms, curiously pink in her face. He assumed it was because she was flushed from her fall. "Thank you for saving me again," she said, holding out her hand.

Mewtwo hesitated—the gesture was foreign to him, but he reached out and took her slender little hand anyway. His hand seemed to swallow hers, and he felt her hand almost limp in his as she shook his. "Again?" he repeated.

"Why, yes," she said, coral-pink eyes blinking wide. "At, well, the OTHER cliff side." She smiled again, hiding her smile behind her hand. "I've remained a free pokemon because of your help. I feel I should thank you for then as well."

And here he was . . . carrying on a conversation. The feeling was alien to him. "There is no need," Mewtwo stated, though he didn't know why he didn't just accept her thanks.

He started to leave, but was surprised when she fell in step next to him. "My name is Leila," she said, the long and graceful strides of her legs making it easy for her to keep up with him. "What is your name?"

Mewtwo calculated her question silently. Should he answer? She really shouldn't know about him at all—they shouldn't be having this conversation in the first place! But, there was nothing wrong in a person keeping their memories, and he found himself caught in his own thoughts again. But was it safe to tell her more? It probably wasn't—his presence was a secret to the world, it was as if he didn't even exist. And maybe it was because of that that he felt so lonely . . .

"Uh, sir? I'm sorry, have I said something wrong?"

He glanced over at her and met her eyes again. No . . . There was nothing wrong with telling someone as innocent as herself. "My name is Mewtwo," he said, and he saw her eyes light up.

"A wonderful name," she declared, clasping her hands together in front of her skirt as she waltzed along with him. "Now, what type of pokemon are you? I must say, I've never seen someone so . . ." She stumbled over her words a moment, a delicate blush touching her features as she quickly looked away. "Ah, what I mean to say is . . . Someone so . . ."

"Different?" he helped supply for her. She nodded, still not looking at him. And, looking down at his features again, Mewtwo understood why she was so embarrassed. Different was as capacious an understatement there could be. He was mutated, and he knew it. "I am . . ." A freak, a freak, a freak . . . The horrid words rang in his mind. A copy. A clone. Finally, he managed, "It does not matter what I am."

She smiled at him, but her hand covered her smile again. He found she did that whenever she smiled, hiding her smile. "A most true statement," she agreed, overcoming her momentary embarrassment. Mewtwo was surprised at her again, curiosity sparked anew. She so willingly accepted that answer? She didn't get defensive or suspicious of him? He was a deformed freak with powers too strong to be normal, and she didn't worry? Why?

The supposed Leila sauntered next to him, untroubled as she kept up the conversation with him. "I am a Gardevoir," she told him as if he might not have known. "I can tell we are both psychic types, but you are much stronger than I am. It is admirable." She peeked over at him with a slight smile in her eyes. "I was so glad I found you—I kept searching and searching on that mountainside for you to help me with the Onix, and I was afraid I wouldn't find you in time."

Then, her words suddenly struck him. "Found me?" he repeated, casting her a sideways glance. "Searching? You knew I was there. How?"

Leila blushed slightly at his pointed tone, looking away again. "Well, I . . . Gardevoir are adept at seeing the future, you see. Before I was attacked, I was graced with seeing a future where I saw you on the cliff side saving me. It was all I could hope for against that frightening Onix."

"Then . . ." Mewtwo felt a revelation shaft through him. He was . . . glad he had been there to save her. The thought made him feel better than he had in ages. Instead of admitting it to her though, an embarrassed Mewtwo tried to swiftly change the subject. "So you cannot launch the smallest of Confusions, but you can see the future?"

"Oh, yes, quite adeptly." Then, she managed to blush again, trying to hide it by turning her face away again. "But as for fighting—my mother told me that I should never fight. She said it was pointless, barbaric, and only, well . . . only hoodlums fought. That is why I can barely manage to defend myself. It's a wonder I've managed so well on my own."

All on her own . . . So weak . . . The thought made Mewtwo backtrack. Twice now he had saved her when she was in danger. She couldn't protect herself, and the next time something threatened her, he might not be there to protect her. The thought made him worry—she was so breakable . . . He couldn't let her go off on her own again.

He nodded to Leila, saying, "Well, it has been . . . nice meeting you. But I must go now."

She hid her smile again. "Why, yes. I've had a delightful time, Mewtwo." Leila curtsied to him, using her hands to sweep her skirt out as if she were asking him for a ballroom dance. "I hope to meet with you again sometime soon. Please, have a lovely day."

Mewtwo watched her leave. Her hips swayed slightly with each dainty step that was carefully placed. She was cautious at all times, as if afraid a misstep would send her sprawling across the ground with a twisted ankle. Delicate as a flower. As rare and fragile as a butterfly.

Mewtwo looked down on his own hand, so different from hers. Only three fingers, each round and large, unfit for handling delicate and fragile things. He was made to kill, to cause destruction.

But maybe . . . Maybe he could, instead of using his power for what it was made for, maybe he could instead use it for protection, the way he had done as he had protected his clones. Only this time, he would be protecting a particularly helpless Gardevoir. Silently appointing himself her guardian, he gave himself a purpose in his life, following her from afar and vowing to keep her from all harm.

* * *

><p>"Agent 009 reporting in, Giovanni," she stated into the communicator. "I've located Mewtwo. But . . ."<p>

There was a crackle of static as she watched Mewtwo watch the Gardevoir walk away. "But what?" Giovanni said shortly.

She still felt shocked at what she had just witness. "Sir, he . . ."

"He what, grunt? Answer me!"

The blond jolted to attention. "Sir! He just saved a Gardevoir from an Onix and saved her from falling off a cliff. He then stayed around to have, well, CONVERSATION with her, and I watched him watch her leave, look at his hand, and then look at her again. He did not erase her memory when she left."

"The way he must have ours . . ." Giovanni murmured.

The silence was long. 009 lifted the tiny dart gun, waiting for instruction. "Sir? Shall I proceed?"

She began to get nervous. The rouge pokemon could get away at any given moment. It was now or never. "Sir?"

"Withdraw, 009," she heard him state. She let out an inaudible breath, putting the custom dart gun away as she watched Mewtwo stare off into the distance where the Gardevoir had gone. "Let the situation develop more—I am interested how this . . . affiliation with this Gardevoir will play out." The Black Tulip had no idea of the sardonic grin that warped Giovanni's face. "It might just turn out to our advantage."

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><p>Mewtwo thought it would be some time before he had to help Leila, and it probably would have been if he hadn't have been so insecure about his emotions—it was hardly two days before he intervened.<p>

It was nothing serious—she tripped, and she threw out her hands to catch herself. His heart rate picked up—he felt that same protectiveness over her, the way he was silently afraid that when she caught herself on her hands that her wrists would break. That was the only thing that propelled him to action, teleporting in front of her to catch her.

She collapsed easily into his chest with a small gasp, looking up in surprise. "Mewtwo!" she burst, eyes widening. She straightened, trying to hide a blush as she looked away, taking her hands back from his. "I—I didn't expect you."

He wasn't sure how to respond. What could he say to her? "You didn't see me in your future?" he asked, and it only served to make her blush more.

"Well, I—no, I didn't. I wasn't looking."

Mewtwo could tell Leila was blushing furiously, and he could almost hear her accelerated breathing. Now he felt bad for what he had done—maybe he should have told her about what he was doing. "I am sorry," he found himself saying. "I did not mean to alarm you."

Leila took a deep breath, subduing her emotions before saying, "It is all right. I am fine." Then, she hid her smile, saying, "But my, you startled me so! I didn't expect you to be here. How have things been for you?"

Mewtwo considered the question—with him, it could so easily turn awkward. "I am fine," he said vaguely. "The days pass." After a moment's hesitation, he assumed that the courteous thing to do would be to inquire about her as well. "How have you fared?"

"I've been doing well," she said, and when she began to walk, Mewtwo followed close. "My days are spent in leisure." And then, Leila's expression turned a slight more playful as she cut Mewtwo a glance. "That is, when I'm not being attacked by some other pokemon."

Mewtwo shook his head. "And that is where I am confounded," he told her, curiosity getting the best of him. "How have you managed to protect yourself over the years if you so easily attract such unwanted attention?"

"Well, that's easy," she said, lips curling as she fought away a smile. "I might not have any skills when it comes to attacking, but I am quite adept at defensive techniques." Leila stopped, hiding a smile behind her hand as she backed away from him, sweeping her skirt out with her other hand. "Would you like to have a go at this?"

She was asking him to battle! The thought sent his heart pumping, and as Mewtwo looked at her frail body, so intensely breakable that it would be a shame to hurt her, he had to shake his head.

"I cannot," he stated, but Leila just shook her head right back.

"Don't be afraid," she said friendly. "Trust me, I can protect myself well, there is no need to hold back."

Still hesitant, Mewtwo stated a bit wryly, "I'm going to hold you to that." Using a lighter attack in fear that he would hurt her, Mewtwo attack with a Psychic—and yet felt surprised when she Teleported away, appearing somewhere behind him. Eyes widening, Mewtwo attacked with a Shadow Ball, stronger, more direct—yet still she Teleported to safety, and he was surprised when she giggled behind her hands, saying, "Oh, dear, you're going to have to try harder than that!"

Another Shadow Ball crackled at his fingers with the challenge. After several more unsuccessful tries to hit her, he realized she was only going to teleport away. Mewtwo switched tactics to a Miracle Eye, lowering her evasion to make sure the next attack would hit. Still not wanting to hit her hard, he changed from the super effective Shadow Ball to a Psyshock, the blob of psychic energy hurtling through the air towards her. However, this attack crashed nearly harmlessly against a Light Screen, protecting herself from the attack instantly.

Mewtwo grunted in appreciation. "I see you speak true," he said as she awaited his next attack. "Let me try to get past your defenses." Considering again, he blasted her with a strong Psychic to which she used a Protect, completely stopping the attack from hurting her. Attacking again with Psychic, she dodged with a Teleport, and he saw her eyes glow blue a moment. Leila anticipated a close, physical move and backed away while using Reflect, and Mewtwo blasted her again with a Psychic—only to find that he couldn't.

He nearly asked what had happened, but realized that she had Disabled his attacking move. Impressed, he attacked hard with another Shadow Ball, making her grunt as she took it low. Even with her Light Screen, the attack was so powerful that it hurt her.

She looked up, pinkish/reddish eyes making Mewtwo falter in his attacks. "You surely are very strong!" she exclaimed, once again awed by him. Then, she clasped her hands together, a bright flash of light emanating from her body for a split instant before disappearing.

There was no need to keep attacking her—she had crippled his strongest attacking move and showed that she knew how to defend herself, also showing that she knew the move Wish to heal herself if she were hurt. Mewtwo let go of his attacking stance.

"I concede the fact that you protect yourself well," he stated. "But tell me this: do you really know no attacking moves?"

She shook her head, body glowing with rainbows for a half second as her Wish healed her. "No, sir. My mother abhors violence, and prohibited any attacks that would hurt another pokemon."

Mewtwo studied Leila a moment. "Hooligans, she calls them. Then would she not think that I, too, was a hooligan?"

Leila seemed to blink in surprise, and then she exclaimed, "Why—I almost think she would! But, you are so gentlemanly. I'm sure if my mother became properly acquainted with you then she would see what I see."

"And what is it that you see?"

She suddenly blushed, turning her face away. "Why, a gentleman, of course. That is what I said."

Mewtwo looked down on his hands. She thought him a gentleman? He couldn't even manage to associate himself like that in his mind. He shook his head, saying sorrowfully, "You know nothing of me. We should not even be associating like this."

Leila turned, startled. "What?" she asked, eyes wide. "Why not?"

He turned away, looking anywhere other than her. He couldn't tell her everything, but he said, "For reasons none other than the fact that while minor danger follows you, real danger follows me. The kind of danger that you can't just walk away from in one piece." Whether it took a piece of your body, or a piece of your heart and soul, was a different matter.

"I am willing to take that risk."

Her halcyon statement made him turn back to her. "You . . . ?" He shook his head. "Why?" She caught him off guard at every turn. Why would she want to risk herself like that?

Leila clasped her hands together, giving a dainty shrug. "I value our friendship too much. Besides, if danger does come, I'm sure that you could keep me safe, if I myself couldn't."

Still wary and not quite sure that was enough of a reason to care, Mewtwo nodded. Leila smiled behind her hand again. "Good! Now, I'm quite hungry, let's go find ourselves something to eat!" Further surprised when she took his hand, Mewtwo found himself pulled gently along as she took a different pathway, leading him through the forest.

Mewtwo asked, "Where are we going?"

"I know there is a Pecha berry tree close by," Leila said, and when she blushed slightly again, she tucked her face away from him. "It's my favorite berry."

Mewtwo nodded, taking the fact in. He considered himself thoughtfully as she pulled him along. He knew for a fact that she could protect herself well no matter how fragile she seemed. So why was it that he still wished to protect her when she needed no protection? And why . . . Why did he so willingly follow her?

"Here we are!"

Mewtwo came back to attention as Leila let go of his hand, nearly prancing up to the tree. She reached up her hand, letting two berries float down to her palm. She held out one to Mewtwo.

"Here you go," she said, and he took the berry between his fingers, feeling how easy it would be to accidentally squash the tender fruit. He took a bite of the sweet and soft fruit—it reminded him of the Gardevoir next to him. She would love something as sweet and soft as a Pecha berry—as herself.

She lowered herself carefully on the ground, tucking her legs beneath her as she bit into her own berry. "This is nice," she sighed, leaning back on one hand to stare up at the blue sky. Mewtwo sat down next to her.

Staring down at the little berry she had given him, Mewtwo stated, "You really don't have any cares in the world, do you?"

Leila didn't read into his question much. "I do worry about a few things," she said easily, conversation flowing easily from her tongue. "My mother, for one. It has been too long since I last visited her, my home in general. I wonder how the other Gardevoir, Ralts, and Kirlia fare?"

Curious again about this enticing Gardevoir, Mewtwo asked, "Where is your home?"

She turned more to him, sighing, "I'm afraid I've wandered far in my search to see new things and new places. My home is nestled in the forest against the manmade Rusturf Tunnel." Leila played with the Pecha berry in her hand, a hand stealing up to hide her slight smile. "Mother will be so happy to see me again." Then, she suddenly looked up at Mewtwo, making him stare back, taken off guard yet again. "I think I should traverse back to them. Would you please accompany me?"

He stared back at her, surprised again because she would ask him something like that. "You want me to go with you?"

"Unless you have somewhere else to be . . ."

Mewtwo shook his head, finishing off his berry. "I have nowhere to go. I . . . will accompany you."

Leila smiled behind her hands. "Oh, thank you so much! This is wonderful. I'm sure Mother will take a shine to you as I have."

A slight smile turned up Mewtwo's lips. "You hold such faith," he said a bit tiredly. He somehow doubted that they would take him for what he was with such warm affection as Leila did.

She shook her head though, eyes smiling. "I'm absolutely sure that you'll fit right in."

Mewtwo looked down before looking up. "Your faith is admirable," he finally told her. He glanced over at her, saying, "I envy that."

Leila blushed furiously again, trying to hide her face. "You flatter me too much."

"I only speak how I feel."


	2. Chapter 2

Mewtwo walked alongside Leila as they headed back to Meteor Falls, planning to pass through the cave on the way to Leila's home. She chatted freely, untroubled of the mysterious and brooding pokemon next to her. That she was so unperturbed by his dark, threatening form astounded him more as she spoke of the silliest things, ranging from flowers, to berries, to places she had seen.

"Still," she said, clasping her elbows, "no place has ever struck me as more beautiful than home." Mewtwo cast a glance to her, glad the conversation allowed him to pass his eyes over her again. Leila looked up to the sun high in the sky. "The morning sun always rose to my left from where I slept. It would awaken me, and then I would rise to watch the morning dawn. It was always a lovely sight."

Watching . . . the sun. Mewtwo knew the faint, melancholy beauties of watching the moon, but . . . he had never watched the beauty of the sun. He looked up to the great orb in question, the light seeming to blind him.

Leila continued after a moment, face softening. "Mother and I would go for walks. We would gather food, and bring back the morning feast for the younger ones as well as the more elderly." Her eyes shyly peeked over at Mewtwo. "Though we have our differences, I love my mother. She has taught me so many wonderful things. Without her, I would have been lost."

Mewtwo paused, keeping his strides short so he would not leave her behind. "Your differences?"

She reddened slightly, turning her face away. Mewtwo frowned—he wished she would stop doing that. Curiosity beckoned for him to see her face when she blushed. "Ah, well . . . Yes, even the closest of these may have their differences. Mother was extremely cross with me when I told her of my inner wish to travel."

Passing through a small clump of forest, Mewtwo found himself unconsciously using a Psychic to lift and bend tree branches out of Leila's way. "Why?"

Leila gave a tremendous sigh. "Perhaps I shouldn't say, but . . . I trust you." Taken off guard again, Mewtwo was unable to form a response. She answered, "My father left to travel as well one day, and . . . well, he did not return. We don't know what happened to him." Leila paused, dropping her eyelids low. The sight of her eyelashes swooping low over her cheekbones caused unrest to rise in Mewtwo.

"I fear he may have been captured by a pokemon trainer," Leila confessed softly. "Or worse . . ." Dead—the thought was stark in Mewtwo's mind, but because she did not say it, he didn't. Leila shook her head. "I . . . unfortunately believe that my mother does not think either of these things—I think that she believes he abandoned us."

Mewtwo nodded gravely. "And so she fears you would not return."

"Oh, but I know my father," Leila said quickly, looking up with those wide eyes that stirred his heart. "He would never abandon us. He is too kind. Something must be keeping him from returning home." Those innocent eyes pierced through Mewtwo. Sunlight trickled through the treetops, accentuating her beauty. "That is . . . actually, the reason I left. I was . . . horrible."

Surprise shafted through Mewtwo. "You? Horrible?" He couldn't fathom the thought.

She turned her face from him, covering it in shame. "Yes, I . . . I told a horrible lie. I told my mother I would only be sightseeing. I did not speak of my intentions to find my father."

Mewtwo's racing heart slowed. A . . . a little, white lie. That was all. Relief crashed through his being—he had thought she had done something truly despicable!

"It is not much," he said, switching his tail over. "It was just a lie."

"Just a lie?" she repeated, eyes wide as she looked back at him. "No, sir, that was a horrible thing to do—I should not have lied, I should have told her the truth. My heart is tainted with selfish thoughts for not seeking out her permission first."

Taken off guard again, Mewtwo shook his head—how could one be so innocent? "You have your own free will," he told her. They broke from the cover of the small forest, and he could see the silhouette of the opening to Meteor Falls in the far distance. "Your mother cannot dictate your every action—if you wish to search for your father, that is your right."

Leila seemed to consider this, wringing her hands gently. "Perhaps . . . But that still does not excuse my actions to lie to my mother. I should apologize and tell her the truth."

"And what would she do to you?"

This time, it was Leila who was surprised—it was evident in her face as her eyebrows raised. "Why, DO to me? She would not hurt me, if that was what you were insinuating."

Mewtwo started on the inside—she said it so frankly. The thought of her mother hurting her had never crossed her mind, and yet it was the first thought in Mewtwo's mind.

Leila sighed, dropping her head before staring straight ahead. "She would give me quite the tongue lashing for deceiving her, but worst of all, I fear she would force me to give up my expedition."

Mewtwo frowned over at her. "And why would she do that?"

Leila sighed one last time, looking Mewtwo full in the face again. "My father was a battler—I think at one point my mother was too. All I can infer from the situation is that he left her to travel and seek out battles, leaving her with me all alone. When he never returned, I am sure she felt betrayed by him. I . . ." She blushed suddenly, turning her face away from Mewtwo again. "I think this is why she tells me to stay away from battlers . . . Why I am secretly afraid she will tell me to sever my ties from you."

Mewtwo hesitated. He did not look forward to meeting her stringent mother. However, her story was rather pathetic, so he could not fault her for the way she felt, but . . . Mewtwo let his gaze travel the length of the dainty beauty next to him, and his curiosity got the better of him. He found himself asking, "Would you leave me?"

She looked up, eyes round with innocence.

Mewtwo looked her in the eyes, trying to read her emotions. "Would you follow her instructions, as it seems you have done your whole life? Or would you come with me, wherever I might go?"

A steady blush was starting to dominate her cheeks—she turned away quickly, hands stealing up to hide the heat further. After a bit of thought, she concealed her blush and looked back.

Her words were unsteady. "I . . . do not know. I would find it hard to disobey my mother's order—she is all I have had all these years of my life. It would kill her for me to leave her like that. So . . . I think that . . . No matter what attr—" She cut off quickly, a mortifying blush searing her cheeks as she turned quickly away, stammering, "No matter what I—No matter how we are friends, I think my loyalties should lie with my mother." Leila could not meet his gaze. "I am all she has, after all . . ."

Mewtwo's heart sank. Of course, it was all the same. The path was clear in his mind again—he would bring her home, her mother would coerce her to stay, and he would be forced to move on with his empty life again. The thought depressed him, and he became disgusted with himself—what had he expected? He was a freakish copy, and no one would care. He was always put last, always shunned—and always would be.

Leila glanced back over to him, saying demurely, "Uh, Mewtwo . . ."

He started out of his melancholy reverie, blinking at her apparent concern. "What is it?"

"I . . ." She stopped, unconsciously smoothing her skirt. "Please, excuse me if I overstep my boundaries . . . but my words have affected you greatly." Mewtwo stiffened, only sheer force of will keeping him walking next to her. "You are sad."

Anger rose in him. Defensive, he wanted to strike out at her—how dare she probe so deep within him? It caused an irate rage to grow, but he feared this uncontrollable anger—he might hurt her. If he lost control again and went on a rampage, he ran the risks of hurting her—something he desperately did not want to happen. Instead, he fought his rage silently, refusing to answer her until he was sure that he had control.

Instead of explaining himself, Mewtwo pinned her down with a look. "You have hidden your empathetic ability from me," he stated flatly. "You can feel my emotions."

She winced back in fear, shuffling a step away from him without sensing it. "I . . . I am sorry, I . . . did not think to . . ."

Her soft, fearful protests squelched his anger at the core. Mewtwo felt it dissipate quickly, and he felt something else overcome him. It was a combination of guilt for scaring her, disgust with himself for scaring her, and a yearning to let her know that it wasn't her fault.

Filled with conflicting emotions, Mewtwo finally stopped their travelling, turning roundabout to face her. Quietly, he said, "You must also know of my feelings for you."

He caught the faintest glimpse of a blush before she turned away from him. "I . . ."

"Speak your piece."

She peeked from behind her hands that concealed her rosy cheeks. "I . . ." Her coral eyes hid behind her eyelids as she looked to the ground. She whispered, "I did not . . . believe it was mutual attraction . . . I thought maybe it only as shallow as infatuation . . ."

Mewtwo swallowed, wondering where the crossroads of his life had come and when he had taken the path down this way. Instead, he found himself stating boldly, "I feel emotions shallow for no one."

She turned fully from him with a soft little gasp, skirt whirling slightly. Then, Mewtwo's heart skipped a beat as he remembered her words. "Mutual . . . attraction." He wished he could see her face as he took a step forward. "Mutual . . . The word implies two benefitting. Are you suggesting that . . . the feeling is the same for you?"

"I—" Leila stammered uncertainly, unable to look him in the face. "It is—We've known each other for such a short time . . . It is not logical . . . The feelings aren't developed, this isn't . . ."

He wanted to touch her. Yet, somehow, Mewtwo knew that it would only make the awkward situation for her worse, and he forcibly restrained his hand from doing so. "So underdeveloped they are," he repeated, "yet so strong."

"Mewtwo, please . . ."

He heard her plea, and sighed to himself. He let it go. Instead, he gave Leila a gentle tug to fall in step with him, saying, "We should be able to make it to the base of Meteor Falls by nightfall. The journey back to your home should take no more than a week."

Back to her home . . . to her mother . . . where Mewtwo was sure he would lose her company for good. His thoughts turned pensive. Maybe it was for the best. She deserved better than a lousy freak, for one. And Mewtwo was still unsure of the dangers he might place her in by remaining with her. Granted, he had not heard or seen Team Rocket trailing him ever since wiping their memories, but . . . Somehow, even seeing it with his own eyes wasn't enough to make Mewtwo fully believe that he was free of them at last . . .

Free of Giovanni.

Mewtwo's bloodlust grew at the mere thought of him. Despite knowing that a few select humans were good—being Ash Ketchum and his few friends—Mewtwo still couldn't find it in him to let go of his hate or lust for revenge. He still wanted to tear Giovanni apart for the things he had done to him—it was hard to forget living your life as a slave. Mewtwo's hands clenched tightly. He would kill Giovanni as retribution for his violent crimes. His crimes against Mewtwo, against his clones—against his freedom.

"I am sorry."

Mewtwo was snapped out of his brooding by Leila's voice. His mind left his dark desires as he focused on her. She strode dutifully next to him, head tucked, hands clasped at the front of her skirt.

He wanted to ask what was wrong—what she thought she had done. But he found the words stuck in his throat, tongue-tied over the sheer beauty of her sorrow. Leila would not look at him, kept her face carefully averted, and the setting sun slanted over her body, casting a glow about her. Mewtwo felt his heart pound hard in his chest, his blood racing inside him because she roused dangerous kinds of feelings he never knew he could feel.

"I did not mean to pry," she said softly, voice musical in his ears. Mewtwo let his eyes trail over her swooping eyelashes, her bowed profile. "I apologize for making you uncomfortable, for arousing your anger . . . It was my fault."

"No, it is not." Leila looked up in surprise, brushing a wayward strand from her face. Mewtwo swallowed. "The cause of my anger was not you. Do not trouble yourself further."

He looked away. The opening to Meteor Falls was drawing closer. They could rest outside and pass through the next day. It would be—

"If not me . . ." Leila ventured gently, looking up at him timidly, "Then who?"

Mewtwo pressed his lips together. He wanted to avoid the question. It brought up too many painful memories that were better left buried in the past than drug up again. But . . . she asked so innocently. What could hurt by telling her? She had already told of the strife between her parents, how she was caught in the middle. What could hurt in telling her a little?

"I am sorry . . . Do not feel obligated to answer, I understand how personal it is."

And still . . . still so courteous. Mewtwo felt his conflicted emotions clash in a silent war that waged back and forth, wavering between confessing or keeping shut tighter than any seal. However, a tender emotion in him won out in the end, and his unshakable wall fell for a second.

"Giovanni."

The name was hardly a whisper on his lips. Mewtwo felt his mouth clamp and whiten at the mere mention of the man, anger boiling inside as well as trauma. Would he ever be free of his oppression? He couldn't forget him even when his enemy had forgotten him!

"Giovanni . . ." he heard Leila repeat just as quietly. This time, it was Mewtwo that refused to show his face to her, and he heard her inquire quietly, "Who is he?"

A wretch. An evil man, greedy, driven, powerful. He stopped at nothing to get his means. He could kill ruthlessly for the right price. An unshakable will, strong, and unforgiving. Mewtwo felt his heart twisting in a loathsome way, and he closed off tighter than a vault.

"He is no one . . ."

He contradicted his own words; he knew it. But he couldn't take back the fact that he had given the name of his greatest adversary to Leila. Misery choked off his voice—no more, he would tell her no more. She already knew too much at the mere mention of them man's name. Better she swim in the dark of innocence than to be enlightened to his horrors.

Mewtwo stopped short of the hard rocks of Meteor Falls, the sun starting to dip. "We might as well adjourn here tonight," he said quietly. "The moon will be out soon. I presume you need your rest—tomorrow we will head through Meteor Falls."

"Yes . . ." After a moment, Mewtwo started to feel the moment stretch awkwardly, but Leila spoke again. "Mewtwo?"

Finally, he was able to return his gaze to hers. "What is it?"

She clasped her hands together, seeming to hesitate a moment. "I want to thank you for accompanying me. I feel much safer with you around—and I enjoy your company." Stunned, he could only watch as she curtsied slightly. "Please, sleep well."

Leila settled a little way out; close, but near enough that Mewtwo wouldn't be worried about her. His sight drank in her movements as she lay down, skirt covering her legs fully, pillowing her arms for her head.

A tremor caught in the back of Mewtwo's throat. She was so very fragile . . . As if the horrors of his past would cause her to fall into shock and traumatize her at the mere mention of the least of these things.

Mewtwo turned his head towards the fading sun, only a mere sliver of it left in the sky. So beautiful . . . So out of his reach. Mewtwo turned his back on the light, looking back into the impending darkness of night, searching for the moon in the sky.

So faint compared to the radiance of the sun. Would he forever live in the shadows?

* * *

><p>A soft shuffled woke Mewtwo from his light slumber—if you could even call it that. Meditation broken by the faint movements, Mewtwo opened his eyes.<p>

Leila stirred, stretching her legs out. Then, her arms stretched too. Mewtwo watched as she turned towards the shaft of light across her face, her back to him. Sitting criss-cross, Mewtwo observed how she stood carefully, brushing her skirt free of the blades of grass and dust. Her hands reached up and disappeared from view, wiping something from her eyes.

She was watching the sunrise. Mewtwo didn't move, enamored at the sight of her so opposite of everything he was, unable to wrap his head around how one could be so . . . so . . . He couldn't even find the word he sought.

Leila turned around to him—and she gave a slight squeak, jumping when she saw his eyes opened to her.

"M-Mewtwo!"

He stood, feeling his powers strong again from the meditation. "I am sorry," he apologized a bit meekly, seeing her hands come up to press against her beating heart and cover her flushed cheeks. "I did not mean to startle you."

She seemed to give a weak sigh, a twinkle coming to her eyes in the early morning. "Oh, it's quite all right. I didn't hear you, and I thought you were still asleep."

"I am a light sleeper," he informed her easily, and she nodded. Glancing over, Mewtwo used his psychic powers to pick two berries from a distant bush. He let one come to him and the other float over to Leila. "If you would?"

She bit her lip, plucking the Oran berry from the air. "Thank you."

Leila nibbled daintily on the fruit, looking back at the sun as it drew higher into the sky. "I think morning is my favorite time of day," she said, leaning against a tree as she watched the day break. "The start of a new day—new happenings awaiting. I love the thought of filling my next day."

Mewtwo looked at the bright light of the sun as well. "Even if there is no point to your life?"

Leila gave a dainty shrug, a motion he perceived that she would say unladylike. "I take my days one at a time—I don't worry about the next, and I try not to worry about the past." Her eyes warmed as she looked over at him. "Besides, you can't change the past, so there is no use in trying to change it—though, even I can fail at this task."

Mewtwo ate the last of the berry. Thinking quietly over her words, Mewtwo wondered at himself. Could he go a day without worrying about Giovanni? Could he stop contemplating the future and learn to live a day at a time? He doubted he could.

Leila finished her own berry, licking her lips and fingers. "I suppose we should be on our way—I doubt we would want to miss any daylight."

Mewtwo nodded courteously, falling in line next to her. "Cutting through Meteor Falls will be a swift short-cut," he told her.

She seemed to shy away then. "Ah, yes . . . I wouldn't know the pathway through though."

"It will be no problem to get us through," he said, noting how uneasy she seemed. "It will quickly take us closer to your family."

They approached the entrance to Meteor Falls, and Mewtwo stepped in first, the cave floor crunching slightly beneath his feet. He held out his hand to Leila. She seemed to hesitate for some reason, and he said, "Do not fear—trust me."

She reached out and accepted his proffered hand.

Unnecessarily helping her through the slightly stooped opening, she kept a tight grip on his hand. "It's so dark."

Immediately, Mewtwo used a Flash to light their way. Leila stared in wonder at the path he showed to her, and she finally let go of his hand.

Mewtwo led her through the wet cave, and she hovered close. "So, Mewtwo . . ." she said a bit breathlessly, eyes jumping. "What is your family like?"

He retreated into silence for some time. "My family?"

"Yes, if you do not mind my asking, that is."

He sighed. "My family . . ." He paused again. If anything, Mew would be his family. He came straight from her genes. However, he was unsure if she was his mother, his sister, or what she was to him. He went with sister—she was much too adolescent to be anything but.

"My little sister is . . . immature to say the least." Mewtwo led Leila on through Meteor Falls, his Flash lighting the way. Leila turned her head his way, indicating she was listening. "She is . . . Troublesome. Full of energy. Small. She is constantly frivolous and happy, optimistic to a fault. A sanguine through and through. She is never cynical. Though she acts very juvenile, she is extremely astute, more so than she exhibits. Though I have an abject background, she comes from the extreme opposite. Her days are filled with a glee that almost irks me."

Leila frowned at him in the dark, his Flash casting shadows on her face. "Why would that irk you? Does it not please you she is happy?"

The unwittingly subtle question vexed Mewtwo—it made him see the answer he didn't want to face. "I—" Mewtwo's brow puckered. His lips pressed tight. "Your questions always enlighten me to a side of myself I do not wish to see. I am . . . jealous of her."

A flutter of a Zubat's wings startled her, making her shrink towards him. Looking up, she blushed suddenly and moved away. "Jealous how?"

Mewtwo let out a slow breath as they traversed through. "She is so auspicious that I envy it. Her life is filled with good fortune and delight—two sensations I have been neglected of. It is like I am the magnet for everything atrocious in this life, the filter that catches every unspeakable thing that could ever happen!"

Mewtwo took a breath, slowing his fast beating heart. So easily he was angered by the thought that she never had to suffer once, that she never experienced one awful thing in her life—and here he was, drowning in resentfulness.

Little Leila next to him did not shy away from his anger though, and he started when she touched his arm soothingly. "I am sorry to hear this," she said softly.

Mewtwo's eyes lowered to her hand resting lightly on his arm. Suddenly overcome with a different outlook, Mewtwo took her hand and pressed a kiss to it. She turned, blushing brightly with a soft gasp.

"Do not trouble yourself," he said softly. He kept his hand around hers as they crossed through Meteor Falls. To his pleasure, she didn't withdraw it. "My sister . . . Though I envy her, it is better this way." Mewtwo vented a breath through his nostrils before taking a deep breath. "She is . . . much like you, in ways. She is fragile and powerful both. She is innocent, generous, kind to a fault . . . Captivating."

"Mewtwo . . ."

"Leila . . ." Mewtwo trailed off, unsure of what he was going to say.

"Oh—Ah!"

Leila screamed shortly, all but falling into him. Mewtwo quickly pointed his Flash to where she was trying to get away from, shining it on a Geodude.

"Oh . . ." She had her hand pressed to her hammering heart, the other gripping his arm tightly, pulling him close. The Geodude ran off, disappearing back into the dark.

Mewtwo cast the frazzled Gardevoir a glance. "Leila? Are you all right?"

Clearly, she was scared out of her wits, but she let out a shuddering breath. "I was . . . startled. I . . . stepped on the poor dear. He did not expect it, and neither did I." Leila blushed again, suddenly jumping from him, withdrawing all contact. "I am sorry. I did not mean to alarm you."

"Do not worry yourself over this," Mewtwo said easily, trying to understand the way she came so close and then would retreat away from him. "It is my pleasure to protect you." Unable to help himself, a quirk of a smile touched his lips. "Even if it be from a monstrous Geodude."

Leila swatted playfully at him, not actually hitting him. "Mewtwo, you are such a tease!" Nonetheless, she cast several glances around, saying, "Let's just keep moving. You can't get much anywhere if you don't move forward, do you?"

"I suppose not." After a slight pause, Mewtwo said, "About my sister . . . It is better that I have suffered through these appalling things. I would not change my past. Even if I could give up one brutal moment, I would not. Why heedlessly burden her with my quandaries?" he shook his head, enlightening his Flash more for Leila's comfort. "I would not."

Mewtwo thought of Mew, so untroubled about everything of the world. "Perhaps, though I find it painful and antagonizing that she should hoard all the pleasing things of this life, I find a strange satisfaction that she has remained so innocent, sweet, and oblivious to the cruel world. If I can prevent it, I will not show her this callous side of life. She deserves better."

His words left them in a soft silence. Finally, Leila said quietly "I believe that . . . that you, Mewtwo, perhaps deserve better."

"Me?" he asked. He looked to her, but her eyes were focused in the distance.

She nodded. "I don't know much, however . . . Only an enigmatic name and the faint sketching of wretchedness. From what I have heard from you, Mewtwo, you have lived a dismal life. And I . . . You may detest me for this, but I find it pitiable that someone as wonderful as yourself has endured these unknown things."

Mewtwo stared, unsure of what he was feeling. Yes, he hated the thought of being pitied, but . . . Leila said it so differently. As if it were just unfortunate, almost as if her words were tender instead of negatively impacting him. "Pitiable?" he finally repeated.

She nodded. "Yes. But . . . Not in a shameful sense. I mean it as in I look at a noble man who has suffered without end for a reason I cannot fathom, only for his sufferings not to end with the opulent reward he has been promised. Yes, that is what I mean."

A powerful feeling swelled in Mewtwo's chest, bittersweet to his yearning heart. "You truly mean that," he said softly. The thought crippled his callous mind. "Leila, you . . . You compare me to a noble man, but . . . I am no noble man. I am despicable on nearly every level. Sometimes I wonder if I am fit to walk this earth with the other pokemon."

Leila suddenly stopped and turned to him, taking both his hands in hers. She unwittingly muffled his Flash, but for once, she didn't seem alarmed by the dark.

"Don't say such things," she said, and Mewtwo found himself mesmerized by her coral colored eyes. "Never say something like that again about yourself. You are better than that, Mewtwo, and let no one tell you differently."

Her impassioned eyes caught his attention. Bringing up his hand, he stroked one of the round digits of his fingers against her cheek. Leila's breath turned shallow. Her eyelids dropped as she looked down to the point of contact before she swiftly retreated away, hiding her blush beneath her hands.

After that, they traveled for some time in silence. Leila jumped at every small sound, and Mewtwo regretted his intimate touch to her cheek. She was already distressed enough from the menacing cave, and he shouldn't have amplified that feeling and made it worse. But . . . Mewtwo wanted to touch her. He wanted to run his fingers across her soft skin. He felt a stunningly conflicting amount of emotions in his chest before he finally told himself that the feelings he had for her were forbidden. He should just leave her in peace . . . but his heart was making it harder and harder to do this with each passing minute with the timid Gardevoir.

A Zubat swooped low over their heads, and Leila shrieked, backing into Mewtwo instantly. He caught a hold of her, and her squeal startled the other sleeping Zubat and Golbat above their heads. Leila screamed again when they all swooped down, just as frightened of her as she was of them.

Mewtwo attacked them, sending them all dispersing away with a powerful Psychic. Then he attacked with a Psycho Cut that sent some crashing into the floor or flapping jaggedly. The rest fled, leaving them alone.

Leila trembled against him, pressing into his chest. Swallowing, Mewtwo considered taking his arm from around her, but in the end, he just brought her closer.

"Are you all right?"

She shivered, nodding, but did not move away. "Y-yes . . ."

Mewtwo let out a soft breath. "No, you are not. You're terrified." They were almost half-way through the cave now, but the way back was shorter than the way forward. Though it meant it would set them back another day, Mewtwo lifted the tiny Gardevoir into his arms before turning around and heading back the way they had come.

Leila gasped softly, hands immediately coming around his neck when he picked her up. "Oh! Mewtwo!"

"We'll head over the top in the light," he told her.

She was light as a feather. Dainty as a butterfly. She blushed in his arms before hiding it again. "I . . ."

"You are afraid of the dark, aren't you?"

Finally, she relaxed into his arms, her cheek resting against his powerful chest. "Yes. But—I am not afraid of the night. The stars twinkle in the sky and the moon shines—No, I am not afraid when it is night. But when it is nothing but the pitch-black of a cave . . ." She trailed off, shivering delicately.

"Do not fear," Mewtwo said softly. Unconsciously, he brought her closer to him. "I will allow no harm to befall you."

Secretly, Mewtwo was pleased at this turn of events. Turning back meant losing a day, and losing a day meant a day more to spend with her. Slightly comforted by this change in plans, Mewtwo took the chance he had to embrace her close.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**

**Since school will be starting up soon, I am taking greater care with this story, and I am juggling one other story as well, I will update this probably every two weeks (sorry, I know I'm slow). Every other Saturday to be certain.**

**And, once again, I apologize for how extremely fluffy this chapter is (oh, Lord, it is so fluffy to the point of gag!) but the next chapter I promise, I swear on the depths of my soul will be EPIC. I promise the next chapter will be positively be WORTH the wait. :D**

* * *

><p>Leila sent Mewtwo a sly glance, eyes twinkling mischievously. "I suppose if any incensed Onix come around, I shall have you to protect me."<p>

Mewtwo laughed, shaking his head. "Leila, I am sure that you could protect yourself excellently from any kind of danger." Then, at his own words, Mewtwo paused. Coming up an incline so steep it was almost perpendicular with the ground, Mewtwo moved up first before reaching his hand down to Leila. She took his hand, allowing him to help her up.

"Leila," he said, casting a glance to her. "You can protect yourself." Against his will, Mewtwo felt his eyes warm as he said, "You lied yet again. You don't need me to protect you."

She blushed furiously, turning her face away. "Well, I . . . Yes, I suppose I did."

Mewtwo shook his head. "And yet, you are so ashamed. Don't be. In fact, I would like to thank you."

The sun was bright today—there was not a cloud in sight. It was gorgeous, and the wind was blowing, cooling them from the warm sun. It was the perfect summer's day.

In fact, Mewtwo had the perfect Gardevoir next to him. Her coral eyes blinked at him in surprise. "What?"

He nodded, helping her periodically with the steep climb, careful to make sure she never even tripped. "Of course. I do not know if I would have stayed with you out of free will without a reason to keep me here."

Leila peeked over at him shyly. "Well, if you know that now, then why do you stay?"

This time, Mewtwo was the one wiped free of any words. After some time of silence, he said, "I do not know." He turned friendly eyes to her. "Perhaps it is just as you say—I value your friendship too much to let it go."

He must have sent her a striking look; she stumbled, and Mewtwo's hands immediately shot out to steady her.

"Are you all right?"

She looked up into his eyes, and she quickly turned her face away as another blush invaded. "Oh, yes . . . Yes, I am fine." Leila retreated from his strong hands. "It is all right, the terrain is rough. I will have to watch my step." Her eyes turned kind as she said, "But with you around, it seems I don't even have to worry about that."

This time, it was Mewtwo's turn to have a faint flush of heat try to scratch up his neck. He was . . . embarrassed? The thought was utterly foreign to him. He felt self-conscious for caring so much for her, but he couldn't deny the way she had somehow wound her way around his callous heart.

Mewtwo returned to the present instead of his brooding thoughts when Leila trailed her eyes over his body. Finally, she said, "I know I said it does not matter, but I am rather curious as to what species of pokemon you are." Mewtwo felt a part of himself harden immediately—however, she didn't ask for specifics. "Is your sister a Persian? For some reason, the image of a Persian keeps coming to my mind. The many powerful feline qualities you have . . ."

Mewtwo hesitated, clenched between the granite wall of secrecy and self-loathing. Could he manage to share? She had already shared so much with him. Leila didn't say anything more though, understanding that these were the times he struggled to find an answer. She knew him so well already.

He had never been presented with such questions about himself before. No one had ever taken the time to care. But . . . maybe it was because he had wiped their memories free of him. Mewtwo shook his head to himself. No. He remembered the looks he would receive from others, horrified, scared even, disgusted, shocked—He flinched inwardly at the thought.

But Leila . . . she was different. She had come out seeking him at her first glance at him. She had tried to befriend him—and had, indeed, succeeded—despite how aloof he had been at their first meeting. She didn't care what he was, she simply . . . cared.

Finally, he said, "My sister is not a Persian. Neither am I. I am . . ." A freak, a beast, a copy, a deformed freak—Mewtwo tried to ignore his own thoughts. "I am a breed apart."

Leila's facial features softened. "That you are. But still, you seem very feline. Are you able to purr?"

Mewtwo blinked. "Purr?"

She blushed a little, looking forward across the rocky grounds. "I suppose not with an answer like that . . . But, I thought that, perhaps since you are very cat-like, you would possess the ability to purr."

He had never purred before. To his knowledge, he couldn't . . . But he had never really thought about it. "A plausible inquiry," he said easily. "To what extent I know, I have never purred before. I don't know if I am capable." He paused, shaking his head. "To purr requires one to be immensely serene and happy . . . Something I have never been."

"Oh . . ."

Her voice was miniscule, quiet. She was sad she had asked. Mewtwo hesitated, wondering how to comfort her that it wasn't her fault. How to explain that it was . . . Giovanni, that tormented his thoughts? How to explain that it was the coldhearted scientists that plagued his mind with their cruel experiments and gene splicing? How to explain that he had been alone all his life, maybe surrounded by his clones, but alone within his mind and heart all the time?

Eventually, Mewtwo forced himself to answer. "It is not your fault," Mewtwo finally said. "It is . . . It . . ." He struggled for his words in the delightful afternoon. Eventually, he had to shake his head, eyes focusing in the distance, over the rocky adobe they would crest. "I would rather not say."

After a moment's hesitation, he felt Leila's tiny, delicate hand slip in his. Looking over at her, she gave him a supportive squeeze, but her eyes were shadowed with worry.

"Mewtwo . . ." His heart rate immediately quickened with the tender way she said his name. "What is it that is so horrible that you won't tell me?"

He didn't know when they had stopped walking. However, he felt his deformed hand tightening around hers. Oh, how he loathed to let go of her! The first to treat him with kindness, the first to truly care . . . He wished their journey to her home would never end.

He brought her hand to his cheek, rubbing his skin gently against the contact. His compelling gaze knifed through her. "Everything."

"But . . ." Her eyes dropped from his to the point of contact she held daintily against his face. "I want to . . . know. To . . . So that I might help bear your burdens. You are weighted down by them, so haunted . . ."

Her concern slashed through his bitter countenance. How could she be so loving to him? She barely knew him. Mewtwo struggled with the thought of how intensely sweet she was, trying to understand her fierce and misplaced empathy. He turned his cheek inward, placing a kiss on the inside of her palm. She gasped, a blush shooting to her cheeks that she immediately hid with her free hand, and he felt her pull against his grip instantly—he kept his hold on her, refusing to let her retreat again.

"I am undeserving of your compassion," he said softly. These feelings were dangerous—they could make him lose himself. But, when he looked up into her flustered eyes, he found he was already lost. "But, I will not tell you of the afflictions which follow me. These are things not meant for your tender ears, and I will not needlessly shackle my grievances to you. Please, understand I only wish to shield you from the evils of this world."

She couldn't meet his gaze. Mewtwo could not see the blush that stained her cheeks because her hand covered it. "That is . . . exactly how I think of you. No one should have to endure their trials alone."

Devotion flared through Mewtwo, and he fervently reached out to her and stroked his abnormal fingers against her soft cheek. He still kept her hand possessively clasped to his cheek, and his heart slammed hard in his chest when her free hand stole up to cover his. "And I would rather endure these trials alone to spare you from them."

Leila's breath shuddered through her, and she wavered for a second before suddenly pulling away, turning away from him to control herself. Mewtwo's fingers were left clutching at the empty air, hurt by her withdrawal.

"Mewtwo, you . . ." Leila took a breath before straightening her shoulders. She began to walk again, and Mewtwo followed unconditionally. "Let's move on from such melancholy topics," she suddenly said, clearly dismissing whatever she had been about to say. She lifted her head, looking past the rocky surfaces and rugged turns in the ground. "What is your favorite season?"

The question was out of the blue. Mewtwo blinked, completely stunned. "I . . . I am not sure."

"Hm." Leila looked up to the sun, letting its warmth kiss her face. "I've always loved spring. Not too hot, not to cold, and the flowers are always beautiful." A shy smile touched her face, and she instantly hid it from him. "Yellow is my favorite color. I think it comes from loving the sun so much. What is your favorite color?"

Mewtwo was caught off guard again. "I . . . I do not know."

Leila cocked her head, sending him an uncertain look. "Do you have a favorite food?"

He didn't know that either, and he told her such.

She gave a soft sigh, brows puckering a little. "You don't know?"

Mewtwo shook his head. "I've never really given it thought. I've never had a reason to."

Leila just smiled behind her hand. "Well, let's think about it now, then. What about a favorite color? Which color is most pleasing to your eye?"

At her words, Mewtwo immediately sought her eyes. A coral pink. As nonchalantly as possible, he said, "I suppose all colors are fine, but . . . I guess pink will have to do."

She gave a light laugh, shaking her head. "Pink? I would have never guessed!"

Against his own will, his eyes warmed. "I have my reasons," he told her.

Mewtwo soon found himself thinking about things he had never thought of before. They spent their time hiking over Meteor Falls just sharing about each other. Mewtwo realized that he barely knew himself at all—Leila knew the things she liked, knew the things she disliked. Mewtwo learned more about himself in her presence because she prodded him to think of the things he had never thought of before.

He began to associate everything with her. The flowers—he would look at them and think, "This is the blossom Leila likes," or "this is the bud that Leila says smells divine". He found himself preferring the summer to winter, the warmth to cold, the sun to the moon. They passed over Meteor Falls speaking of nothing but things that had once held no meaning to Mewtwo.

* * *

><p>"Get me agent Meowth."<p>

The words were hardly off Giovanni's lips before Meowth promptly showed up at his biddings. His time was quick, and Giovanni ordered him in.

Giovanni stared down at the talking pokemon. "Meowth," he stated. He absently stroked the fine fur of his faithful Persian. "Translate this video."

His agent was surprised, but obediently turned his head to the video. It came in clear, zooming in on Mewtwo and a Gardevoir.

Meowth immediately picked up on their line of conversation. " 'Your mother prefers blue flowers?' is what Mewtwo said. And then she said, 'She always loved the blue blossoms more than any other.' " Meowth spoke in clear and different tones to indicate whether it was the female Gardevoir or Mewtwo. " 'Why?' 'Why? Actually, I'm not sure. She never did say. I shall have to ask her one day.' 'I prefer pink because of your eye color.' 'Mewtwo . . .' " Meowth paused with the lag in conversation.

He didn't know what the point of translating this particular conversation was, but Meowth was not the one to question the boss. Giovanni was frowning distinctly. Meowth kept speaking, translating a wide range of them to the north of Rustburo City. They shifted through several conversations, but they consisted of nothing but flowers, the Gardevoir's family, tales of the Gardevoir's past, and the splash of the sea against the shore. It was all utterly negligent, and Giovanni finally gave a sigh of frustration.

"Nothing about himself . . ." Meowth stopped at Giovanni's troubled look. What was he planning?

"If it means anything," Meowth said hesitantly, "he keeps flirting with the Gardevoir. He likes her." Giovanni said nothing, mapping his next scheme in his mind. "Sir," Meowth said, "I think he likes her cause he's always alone. I've never seen Mewtwo care about a girl this much before."

Giovanni grunted. "You are dismissed until further notice, Agent Meowth."

Startled at the sudden change in demeanor, Meowth struck a sharp salute. "Sir!" But, as he left, he couldn't help but glance enviously at the Persian Giovanni's hand absently petted.

Giovanni debated the information. Mewtwo was hiding himself from her. He was ashamed of his past. Yet . . . yet he liked this Gardevoir. Giovanni let the live stream play, contemplating. It would be a waiting game. He had to see how much Mewtwo would attach himself to this Gardevoir. If he did enough . . . A sadistic grin warped his face. The female would make a nice captive.

* * *

><p>Mewtwo let Leila lay a wreath of the blue flowers on his head. Curious to himself as to why he had went from ruthless to chapleted with flowers, Mewtwo looked at Leila. She began to make her own wreath of flowers, uncaring of all the world.<p>

Oh, yes, that was right. His demeanor had changed ever since he had met her.

Mewtwo watched her deft fingers knot the flowers together. "Leila . . ." he said slowly, "Why . . . Why were you there when you found me?"

Leila looked over at him, surprised. "Why?" She turned her face away suddenly, stoking Mewtwo's curiosity. "Well . . . You seemed lonely."

His heart began to quicken. "Lonely? Tell me, why did you think that?"

Her ambidextrous hands stilled in her lap, her own halo of flowers unfinished. "You . . . had this . . . somber air around you. Yes, that is what I felt . . ." Her fingers played with the knot she had finished. Mewtwo's eyes trailed over her kneeling form. She was beautiful. Time and time again he could be struck free of any thought at the sight of her. Her coral-pink eyes were slightly hidden by her eyelids.

"You . . . Walked different than others," Leila continued softly. She finally began tether the flowers together again. "Your shoulders drooped as if carrying the weight of the entire world on your shoulders. You seemed to hide from people no matter how the forlorn feeling would press down, as if you carried some grave secret." She gave a slight laugh, shaking her head. She wiped her eyes. "Come to find out, it is true. What I thought became true, unfolding before my eyes . . ." Leila was silent for a long moment, almost prompting Mewtwo to speak, but she shook her head. "I often wonder . . . If I had believed optimistic of you, would that have changed anything?" She clasped her hands in her lap, a weak laugh making her head shake in denial. "It is a silly thought, but I cannot help but have it. I always wish the greatest of compassion to you . . ."

Heart stricken, Mewtwo swiftly bound the rest of the flowers together with a Psychic. Then, picking it up, he draped it on her head, a perfect fit. She looked up with tear-rimmed eyes, and the sight tugged at the most tender of places in Mewtwo's heart.

"To hear you say that . . ." He shook his head, lifting her hand to his face. Taking a deep breath and placing an impassioned kiss on her palm, he held her hand close to his cheek. He looked up to her eyes, but she was blushing again, and therefore, hiding it by turning her face the other way. Mewtwo leaned in close, lips burning with the urge to kiss her.

"Is all I could ever need."

Lips just a hairsbreadth from the indention just below her ear, Mewtwo hesitated to kiss her, held back by a certain fear that she couldn't feel the same way about him as he did her. But she did feel the same—he couldn't see her blush, but he could feel the heat emanating from her body. He could hear her breathless gasps from feeling the warmth of his breath on her neck, and Mewtwo traced a finger up the smooth skin of her arm.

The sharp caw of a Swellow interrupted the tantalizing moment, making Mewtwo growl shortly when Leila jumped, shrinking away. However, the enchanting spell was broken. He leaned away, letting her have her space again.

He let her take her hand back. She placed it on her chest, keeping her face meticulously turned from him, but Mewtwo couldn't shake the feeling of that tense moment where they had attracted like magnets crackling with electricity. The thought of returning to that intense moment made the fine fur over his body stand on end.

Leila stood suddenly, her skirt dragging slightly in the bed of flowers they shared. "I . . . Please, excuse me for a moment, Mewtwo. I . . . I must go refresh myself. I will be back soon."

Mewtwo watched her go with heavy heart. He was letting her slip from his grasp. He was losing her. Yet, Mewtwo argued with himself that she was allowed the free will to refute his advances. Struggling with himself in confusion, he watched the slight sway of her hips disappear out of sight.

He dropped his eyes to the soft flowers he knelt in. Touching the fragile life with a circular digit representing his finger, Mewtwo swallowed to himself. Leila had taught him how to appreciate the beauty of life, taught his senses to take in the gentle things. She told him . . . pick flowers in moderation, because to pluck their stem was to pluck their life, and they would slowly die.

Mewtwo had never pictured the world as Leila saw it. But now, he could see it through her eyes. Everything was beautiful. The sheer rock faces of cliffs and the sprouts of branching greenery reaching out from it; the cascade of a waterfall from high points and the spray of water as it fell low; the sparkle of the sunlight against the golden sands; the wash of the waves of the ocean over those stunning sands; the dance of the grass in the gentle breeze; the twinkle of the stars in the night and the glow of the moon. She had taught him to be thankful for these things. She had taught him to envision all the colors of life and to see all that was beautiful.

Overwhelmed by a feeling that was clenching his heart too tight, Mewtwo bowed over himself, prostrating his face into the flowers. Their soft petals kissed his cheeks, and he could smell the amorous scent wafting up from them. Their aroma was just as beautiful as their appearance, and Mewtwo's heart lurched. So in the same way could he remember the enlightening fragrance of a certain Gardevoir he would never forget as long as he lived.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**

**This is my absolute favorite chapter so far :D**

**Got my inspiration from the song Bass Cannon by Flux Pavillion Zomboy Remix.**

**Enjoy! (and i really love the word "lambasted" )**

* * *

><p>"Mewtwo? Mewtwo, please, I feel a great disturbance."<p>

Tugged out of a deep meditation close to slumber, Mewtwo blinked open his eyes only to have his heart start violently—Leila was right there, eyes so close to his own.

They had spent much of the night surveying the stars and the moon, staying up late talking. As such, they woke late, and oddly, Leila before Mewtwo. Coming fully alert, Mewtwo felt the prickle of danger in his senses.

He stood, fixing his sight in the distance. "The distress signals from Rustburo City," he stated. That was between them and her home. It was no wonder she was worried. Mewtwo hesitated, considering every possible contingency that could happen before he told her, "We can evade the hazard. If we—"

"No, please, you misunderstand me," Leila said, touching his arm. Mewtwo's heart sputtered erratically at her touch, and he criticized himself—he shouldn't lose focus so easily. "We cannot leave them to suffer. Something is terribly wrong. We must help."

That foreboding tingle itched up Mewtwo's spine again. His brow darkened. "I would not put you in needless danger—"

Her hand tightened on him. Her gaze was steadfast. "I am fragile, yes, but I am not made of porcelain glass."

The strength of her admission both surprised and impressed Mewtwo. He still vacillated though, unsure of what could happen. He supposed he would never know if they still cowered on the northern beach without knowledge of the situation, so he would deduce exactly how dangerous it was before taking her into it.

Taking no time to dither, Mewtwo teleported them both closer to the city. He felt Leila's grip squeeze him as if to reassure herself when they looked out from the cover of trees.

The entire city was menaced by the gangster team known as Team Aqua. Mewtwo recognized them. They had several ships flying in the sky, and many men terrorized the citizens, stealing pokemon, striking those who opposed them, and storming the buildings. Their signature pokemon mulled about, water types, Golbats, and Mightyena, each working jointly to pulverize any in their path. Clearly, Team Aqua had plans for the city and was seizing it by force.

"Mewtwo, please, we must help them!"

Mewtwo grabbed her and held her back. "No," he stated, heart thumping at the very thought of coming into contact with the criminal group and the mobster than ran it. "It is too dangerous. We will bypass them."

However, he was taken off guard by the strength of which Leila denied him, twisting from his grip. "No," she stated again, standing straighter, slim shoulders squaring. "I will not turn tail and flee from this threat. Those innocent people are caught in tribulations, Mewtwo. Please, I cannot stop this on my own, I will need your help."

"No," Mewtwo repeated more steely than the last time. He barred her way, glowering down at her. "I told you already, this is too perilous and I will not risk your safety."

"But—"

"No buts!" he said more passionately than before. "I know what that kind of villain is—you do not. They are merciless, Leila, and I will not put you in harms way."

She swallowed, but did not capitulate to his anger. "Mewtwo, I will not stand by helplessly while I may still protect them."

Their cries filled the air, pokemon and human alike, grating on Mewtwo's ears as both able-bodied pokemon stood squabbling in the trees. "You are too stubborn," he told her.

"Come with me," she pleaded quickly, noting his faltering countenance. "You are strong. You can fight. You can help me save those persecuted."

There were many, true . . . but Mewtwo was strong as steel, and they both knew it. Mewtwo wavered again, this time hesitating to show his face to such an illicit group. Giovanni did not share an affinity with this Team Aqua last Mewtwo had known . . . but things change over time. And even if he did or did not, it did not change the inkling feeling that Giovanni would soon learn of Mewtwo's existence. It sent shivers down his spine.

With a sharp nod of his head, Mewtwo straightened. "Wait here," he told the delicate Gardevoir. "I will do as you ask of me."

"Wait," she whispered quickly before he could leave. Her hands rested on his arm, stirring his heart again. "Let me go with you!"

"No—"

"Please, while you attack, you are left defenseless. I can protect you to give you complete focus on your offensive task. It will be nothing hard to keep both of us safe, I promise you, but please do not rush out alone! It would pain me so if you were hurt . . ."

Curse his feeble emotions! Mewtwo felt himself scowl and order, "If things take a turn for the worse, you run and DO NOT LOOK BACK. I don't care what happens to me, you leave me to rot. Swear."

Her eyes were alert to his passion, and she nodded. "I do not swear, but I will promise you."

His hands gripped her arms as he gouged his intense gaze into her. "You will do all I ask of you. If I tell you to flee, you do so immediately and without complaint. If I say to run while I am captured, you do nothing to save me; you escape and do not try to rescue me. If I am wounded and there is no time, you run and rebuke my existence forever, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

His perfervid orders ceased with him bent over her, purple eyes blazing in sight. Her mouth was parted in shock, trembling breath wafting enticingly distracting from her lips. Mewtwo felt his demented thought pattern shift and teeter from the diversion.

Yet, she managed, "I promise."

Mewtwo let his gaze shutter for the oncoming battle. "Stay close."

"As you wish."

Immediately as they left the cover of the trees Mewtwo felt Leila use both a Light Screen and Reflect to protect him and her. Heart slamming in apprehension of the thought of letting himself be seen, Mewtwo ignored the feeling and attacked those closest to him.

A raging Psychic blasted through the sunlit street, scattering pokemon and men both. By sheer force of will, Mewtwo acquiesced Leila's request of saving the citizens, and he curbed his attack from them. Shouts of alarm went up at the sight of him and the ferocity of his attack, but he did not let that stop him. Focusing his attack on the northern edge of the city, Mewtwo threw multiple Shadow Balls and let them strike each Mightyena in turn, making every pokemon fall back. Spying the heavy sacks on the Team Aqua grunts backs, Mewtwo ripped them from their grip and tossed them to several furious trainers at the side. They immediately leapt for the bags, bags that spilled diverse pokeballs from them.

This passed in a matter of seconds, and in those seconds, he heard Leila gasp at how easily he dispatched those around him.

Out of worry for Leila, he also passed a Safeguard over them both, determined for her to come out without a scratch. The Aqua grunts outnumbered them greatly, a thought that perturbed Mewtwo.

As if sensing his anxiety, Leila said next, "Do not worry about me, Mewtwo—my ability is Telepathy, and I will sense your every action before you make them."

In other words, she would not be hit by any of his attacks.

He heard them shouting about an unnamed pokemon arriving on the scene, alerting their master. In a fit of fury, Mewtwo used another Psychic to crush and snap their walkie-talkies and other electronic equipment, cutting them off from all type of communications. Like this, he had successfully made them blind in the field.

With another powerful Psychic that made the enemies fly out from all sides, Mewtwo indulged in the herculean force that coursed through his body, nearly setting his fine fur on end. The majority of the omnipotent buzz centered behind his head, in the tube full of extra nerves and veins to let his blood flow faster and increase sensory transmission to his brain, amplifying his psychic powers acutely.

Mewtwo prowled from the edge and closer to the center of the city where the main forces were. Leila was close on his heels, and as he effortlessly fought through the grunts, he appreciated her frequent Disable. It made mopping up the mess of pokemon that much easier.

As they closed around them both, Mewtwo blasted a bubble of Psychic energy out from all sides—Leila evading lithely—and every pokemon that did not have the protection of the dark type projected violently into the walls of buildings and the cement street.

The gym was just in sight, as was the hulk of the Devon Corporation. He spotted what he presumed the gym leader—she was much too young—and her followers caught in an epic battle to even gain an inch in the fight. Mewtwo let a Blizzard sweep a group of Mightyena to the side, freezing most instantly when they approached him from behind and too close to Leila.

Another angry ebony dog charged from the front, a Crunch dying his teeth a morbid black of death. A Disable popped in his face; the Crunch dissipated. Immediately, Mewtwo let both his strapping arms slam into the thing's side with a mighty Brick Break, and the Mightyena flew to the side, body wrenching around a pole. It yowled and yipped, limping from the scene of the attack.

As Mewtwo and Leila approached the vicinity of more Team Aqua troops, his highly alert extrasensory abilities were alerted to every sense of danger, and his acute hearing ears twitched when he heard the order.

"I don't care what that thing is. I don't care how powerful it is. It compromises our position—Take it DOWN!"

A surge of explicit anger clouded Mewtwo's thoughts, and he attacked viciously again. A Psychic of such dominance ripped through the area that the street was torn up from the ground, chucks of hardened cement flying with the attack. Pokemon shrieked and men screamed.

Then, just as quickly as he began to lose himself in the blood-thirst of the battle, he was reigned back by a soft hand. "Mewtwo," Leila said, and Mewtwo looked back with feverish eyes to her placid, if frightened ones. She was pale. "Be careful! Stay calm."

Mewtwo's nostrils flared as he took a difficultly steadying breath. When Leila used a Protect for a barrage of pokemon attacks, Mewtwo instinctively used a Protect as well, strengthening the ward.

In a rare sense of aggression, Mewtwo utilized a Double Team, creating intimidating copies of himself. He shocked not only the enemy as they faltered in their attacks, but Leila as well who gave a little gasp and looked around in wonder.

Then, the bombardment of pokemon attacks began again, and Mewtwo tried to confound them for which was the real him. From several different places he used Thunder, Fire Blast, Blizzard, and Hyper Beam all at once from the copies, but his real self remained at Leila's side, unwilling to abandon her for even a second. The copies of himself tripped up Team Aqua for precious moments that they used to move forward more.

They were nearly at the heart of the attack. Team Aqua was spread through the city, rounding up pokemon and securing the perimeter, but they flocked like locusts to Mewtwo and Leila. Determined to bring down their one potential threat, they centered their attacks on Mewtwo, and he had to admit, if grudgingly, to Leila—he was grateful she was there with her Light Screens, Reflects, and Disables.

As if by merely thinking her in his thoughts, Mewtwo heard her give a surprised cry. His reaction was instantaneous, and Mewtwo whirled around in vengeance on the pokemon that dared to approach her. The Quagsire stood no chance to a quick Low Sweep as Mewtwo's legs passed beneath the pokemon. It tripped and fell hard, and before it could so much as think to gather its bearings, Mewtwo struck it with a Focus Blast that sent it careening into another Mightyena. They doubled over each other, but only the Mightyena found the courage in itself to get up again.

Frustrated at the never-ending wave of pokemon, Mewtwo employed a tactical Thunder Wave across the field of battle, making every pokemon in a twenty foot radius of him yowl helplessly in paralysis. Mewtwo proceeded to exploit his resentment, and attacked brutally with a Bulldoze.

Mewtwo was forced to turn back, however, when he heard a fearful cry from Leila. The swarm of Golbat had finally come, and he knew from his experience within Meteor Falls with her that she was deathly afraid of them. Mewtwo felt his lips pull back across his sharp teeth in a ferocious snarl, and he vehemently let a bevy of Zap Cannons fly from his experienced fingertips. Each hideous bat fell flopping to the ground around Leila, and Mewtwo cleared the detestable pokemon from around her with a Psychic.

Eyes blazing blue from his constant assault, Mewtwo let his sight graze over the hovering crafts in the skies—they would be a danger they couldn't afford to have, but he hadn't had the chance yet to destroy them. However, everything else was wiped from Mewtwo's mind when he heard a pained cry from the Gardevoir he had sworn to protect.

Livid at the more skillful Mightyena that had its teeth sunk into her leg, Mewtwo assailed the pokemon without mercy with a Brick Break that possessed so much brutality that Mewtwo heard the distinct break of its spine. He tossed the loathsome pokemon to the side like vile offal, letting it flop in a heap on the ground.

"Despicable cur!" he cursed to the fallen pokemon, but he felt the familiar feeling of surprisingly tender fingers in the midst of the heated back. With a quick teleport at her contact, Mewtwo transported them away from the field of battle.

"Mewtwo!" he heard Leila cry, a soothing hand touching him in an attempt to placate him. "Please, calm down, I—"

Blinding fury washed through his veins like molten lava, burning his self-control away. "Leave now!" he ordered her sharply, eyes latching to her wound. Rage broiled behind his maddened complexion, cheeks splotching with color and teeth gnashing in his jaw. "This has gone on long enough!"

"But Mewtwo," she persisted, seeming wary of him for once he was so incensed. "Please, it is nothing serious. I can—"

A nerve nearly ruptured inside his body. "GO!" he bellowed at her. She flinched, shrinking, but flickered out of existence with a Teleport, and he knew she was gone from the scene.

This time, Mewtwo returned to the battle without mercy. Bypassing the clustering men and pokemon altogether, Mewtwo floated high into the sky with his psychic powers, eyes of ice instilling fear into his victims. The heavy beat of the choppers turbines filled his ears, and wind whipped around him, but Mewtwo did not heed it. Instead, with a gush of psychic energy that overloaded his senses, Mewtwo attacked.

First grabbing the nearest helicopter with a powerful Psychic, with a flick of his wrist, Mewtwo crushed its propellers. Keeping his vice-like hold on it, Mewtwo swung both arms around, and with the motion of his arms went the aircraft. With a sickening crash, it lambasted another helicopter so violently that they both spiraled downwards and out of control; smoking, they crash-landed on the streets below, crushing blue-suited men and pokemon alike.

The seductive thrill of battle overtook Mewtwo's mind without Leila around, and he eagerly leapt upon another helicopter. With a vicious Psycho Cut, Mewtwo sliced straight through the propellers and the tail of the chopper, sending it twisting wildly out of the air as well. Hurdling a sharp propeller, Mewtwo threw several Aura Spheres into the base of the propellers of other choppers. Terrified cries of men filled the air as their helicopters rained down from the sky until there was only the main mother ship left.

A smaller, quicker ship ejected from it, but Mewtwo let it go so focused he was on the massive ship's demise. Maliciously, Mewtwo let his Psychic encase all around the ship, trapping all the men and/or pokemon inside of it. Then, he began to clench his fingers around the obstruction.

The great ship's metal crunched and splintered like glass. What glass constructed the windshields and windows shattered and sent a rain of shards down on the men and pokemon in the streets below. The whole of Team Aqua was in disarray, fleeing in a full-blown retreat, but Mewtwo didn't stop. Though his actions weren't crucial anymore, Mewtwo's lips parted nefariously—he wanted their blood!

The large hulk of the ship began to shrink inwards. The more Mewtwo closed his wide fingers the more it cracked and collapsed inward on itself, and he could hear horrific screams from inside, pleading to be set free.

He ignored them.

When more airborne Zubat and Golbat attacked him, Mewtwo freed one hand to send a mighty Blizzard at them, encasing them like a violent hurricane of sleet and chunks of ice, pelting them and freezing their wings over. They screeched and fell hurtling to the ground, bones snapping when their bodies splattered against the unrelenting force.

The hull of the ship was less than half its size now. Voices were silencing from within it as the walls crushed into themselves, squashing the fragile humans like bugs in between the fortifications. When finally there was no room for even a faint breeze to slip its way between any cracks, Mewtwo threw the tight ball of metal to the ground, letting it block Team Aqua's pathway from the city.

Mewtwo dropped to the ground on all fours, prowling forward with his teeth bared and claws extended. His tail twitched. His hackles stood on end. The remaining men and pokemon turned to meet their inevitable doom, faces washed of all color, and when they summoned the audacity to attack again, Mewtwo waylaid them vehemently.

With another blasting Psychic from the front, Mewtwo sent every pokemon flying back to their owners save for the dark type Mightyena. A worse fate befell them, however, as Mewtwo employed a malicious Fire Blast on them, ruthless at his worst. The conflagrating flames swamped over them like a tidal wave, none escaping. The dogs yowled in pain, running about madly with their fur burning, little balls of fire that Mewtwo found amusing in their sheer panic.

Letting his psychic powers run through the ground as an eerie blue streak that reflected the electric azure of his terrifying eyes, Mewtwo prepared the attack. In the next instant, it erupted, tearing fiercely through the ground, busted aircrafts, and foes. The explosion of one fallen chopper instigated a terrible chain reaction, killing more within the instant.

Then, Mewtwo heard a sharp cry echo through his mind. "Mewtwo!"

He looked up, and suddenly she was there, gentle hands reaching out through the destruction to him. They latched to his arm, and before he would berate her otherwise, Leila teleported them both.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry this took so long to finally get up. It's been what . . . three weeks now? I'll try to get them up just a little quicker, but I had troubles writing this one for some reason. Also, overwhelming school work.**

**Please, enjoy! :)**

* * *

><p>Mewtwo felt the warm sand beneath his feet, but he couldn't slow his labored breathing. He couldn't move his hands from their curled attacking position. Adrenaline still raced shamelessly through him, setting his nerves on fire.<p>

"Mewtwo?"

He jerked violently, his turbulent bloodlust wavering just at the sound of her melodious voice. He was still on all fours, and he could still feel the panic-induced city behind him, the overwhelming terror of those inside of it. His heart pounded rebelliously in his chest, as if trying to break his own ribs.

"Mewtwo, I'm all right. Calm down."

He was seething, carnivorous teeth bared and claws extended. He was trembling all over from the effort he put into controlling himself, but he was petrified that if he let that restraint slip in the slightest that Leila would suffer for it. So he stayed poised as he was, breathing heavily, struggling to keep himself in check.

Leila knelt into his sight, and Mewtwo's feverish eyes blinked once, still blazing their terrifying blue as he couldn't let go of his next attack. Still, she didn't flinch at their foreboding sight, but stared unabashedly into them, willing him to calm down. Finally, his snarl lessened as he realized she was safe on the northern beach, and his claws retracted. She touched his face gingerly, and the buzz of his psychic powers receded; his bristled fur began to lay flat and smooth again.

Mewtwo felt a quaver in his jaw. "Leila?" he whispered, voice hoarse as if he had been the one screaming that whole time and not his victims.

She dropped her hand out of modesty, but kept her eyes on him. "I'm here. The danger is past. Please," and her voice turned even more tender, if possible, "take a deep breath."

A twinge of regret tainted Mewtwo's thoughts with doubt. "How can you stay so composed?" he whispered rawly, letting his haunches meet the ground. His amethyst eyes pierced her with a near desperate look. "How can you still look at me? Are you not . . . afraid?"

Her gaze softened, and the sight of her coral pink eyes made Mewtwo's heart flutter uneasily. "I am not afraid anymore," she said. "We are free of the danger."

"No," he said quickly and stiffly. "You are not . . ." He felt his breath tremble. "You are not afraid of me?"

A look of genuine perplexity overcame her. "Of you? Why would I be afraid of you?"

His heart sputtered erratically with hope. "I thought . . ."

Leila shook her head, taking his shaking hand in hers. "I could never fear you, Mewtwo. You have done nothing but protect me. Why should I fear you?"

The trepidation he had left the city in hummed like an incessant drone in the background, making Mewtwo flinch. "After what I did . . . With how sensitive you are . . . I was so sure . . ."

Leila gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, and his hand that had been clenching through the grains of sand suddenly relaxed. "Of course not. Breathe easy, Mewtwo, all is well."

Inexplicitly, Mewtwo felt frustrated when he couldn't concede to her wisdom. Agitated, Mewtwo rose to his feet and removed his undeserving hand from hers. Hands that had killed. Hands that had figurative blood dripping from them, while hers were white as snow.

Mewtwo started when Leila took his hand. She gave him a gentle tug. "Come with me," she said, and it was all Mewtwo could do to follow. She brought him into the lapping, placid waves of the sea, and after lifting her skirt in her free arm, led him into the shallows. The cool waters lapped over his feet as he waded in with her.

Leila gave a sigh, somehow seeming to let the troubles of the previous battle roll off of her shoulders. "This is nice," she said, wading just a little deeper so that more than just her ankles were submerged.

Mewtwo looked down at the timid waves that lapped around his feet. They sank into the mud beneath, getting the muck between his toes.

The sensation was oddly pacifying. Mewtwo tried to relax as well as he could with the raging emotions of Rustburo City nearby, giving his own shuddering sigh. Gripping Leila's hand a bit tighter, Mewtwo struggled to let go of his . . . fear.

The revelation shafted through him so suddenly he nearly stumbled and clutched his chest. He had been afraid. Afraid for Leila. At the reminder, his eyes latched to her leg, but he was taken off guard when he saw no wound from the Mightyena.

"Leila . . . Your leg."

She turned and looked, and she suddenly turned her face away as a smile touched her face. "Yes, that is what I was trying to tell you before . . . I am certainly able to use Wish, if you remember correctly. There was no need to be alarmed at that while I had the capabilities to heal myself." Her eyes twinkled with a teasing light as she peeked over at Mewtwo. "That is, DO you remember?"

Mewtwo felt an uncommon heat start to singe his cheeks. This time, it was he who turned away a mortifying blush, mumbling sheepishly, "Well, I . . . suppose not."

He heard her giggle slightly, and for some reason that little laugh broke the tension. Mewtwo shook his head, but found he wanted a little payback for her little jibe. With an easy flick of his psychic powers, Mewtwo splashed her from the other side.

Leila squealed. "Oh!" She released his hand, wiping at the little bit of water before turning on Mewtwo. "That was you! Mewtwo, you sly fox!"

He couldn't resist a chuckle at her wide eyes, and he shook his head. "I would never do such a thing, Leila," he tried to say as innocently as possible. She blinked at him in the warm sunlight of summer before Mewtwo felt a return spray on his back. His eyes widened.

"Two can play at that game."

The words were so naughty on her lips compared to how she usually was that it stirred Mewtwo's blood. With a playful growl, he lunged down on his hands to which she flushed a bright pink, hiding her blush as she stepped back.

"Wait—Mewtwo!"

He gave her just enough time for him to flash a roguish grin at her before gently tackling her into the shallows. Leila squealed in response, vainly trying to push him away, but he held firm and tickled her belly. Leila yelped and shrieked most unladylike before splashing his face with water. With that, he let her escape from him, scrambling back to her feet, dripping wet.

Her cheeks were flushed from the fun, but she proclaimed as strongly as she could. "Mewtwo! Stop being so presumptuous! Tone down that swaggering gait, and—and—" Leila faltered and stumbled back another step when Mewtwo growled suggestively again. "Wait—Mewtwo, wait—!"

He didn't have to, because Leila tripped over her own feet by backing away from him, and she fell with a plop in the shallows. The breath expelled from her with a little, cute sound, and Mewtwo halted his prowling advance. She stared at him for a minute, and he at her, and then, a warm laugh spilled from his lips.

In fact, those cheerful laughs didn't stop, and it was quickly that Mewtwo had Leila laughing with him. The rich timbre of his voice filled with hers like bells, creating a blending and sweet harmony. The birds sang for them.

They played in the shallows for some time, splashing water this way and that. It was possibly the happiest time of Mewtwo's life, and even the turmoil of Rustburo City faded away in Leila's jovial company.

In the end though, Mewtwo insisted they leave the fun or else they would never dry off in time for nightfall. Leila had expressed just as much reluctance to leave their happy haven, but did agree that sleeping in the chill of night while wet was not a pleasing prospect.

It was thus that they came to rest on their backs and stare up at the stars again that night. Rustburo City still carried a degree of unrest, but it was waning more the deeper the night became. More and more fell asleep, and Mewtwo felt his own exhaustion press down. He had fought hard and viciously, and now he was paying the price for it.

He knew the best thing for him was to meditate some first, and then to sleep, but it was coming out of order for him that night. Even so, Mewtwo indulged in the amorous ministrations of Leila's hand in his, the way her thumb traced sweet circles on the back of his hand. He felt nearly breathless with emotion at the affections, and she was unwittingly lulling him to slumber.

"Mewtwo?" she whispered softly to the stars.

"Hm?" He let his head loll slightly to her, eyelids shut against the beautiful night sky, because he was too tired to keep them open.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

He gave a soft chuckle, squeezing her hand. "I hope it's not another terrible, dark secret of loving the forbiddingly hot Tomato berry."

She gave a soft laugh with him in the peaceful night. "No, it is more personal than that . . . but because it regards how I feel about you, I feel that I am brave enough to confess this."

Curiosity got to Mewtwo, and it had nothing to do with his feline features. Opening his eyes long enough to look at her again, Mewtwo saw her bathed in the moonlight, and his breath hitched nearly painfully in the back of his throat.

She was beautiful. The glow of the moonlight on her skin stripped him of all words, and it was all Mewtwo could do to keep himself breathing. Her coral eyes seemed to glow in the dark, and little did he know that his thoughts were exactly what Leila was thinking.

"Mewtwo, I . . ." She bit her lip softly and looked back up to the twinkling stars before she gripped his hand tighter, seeming to draw her strength from him. "When we first met, I started to say I had never met someone so, and then you filled in the word different. Different was the furthest thought from my mind."

Her words gave Mewtwo a conflicting sense of gratefulness and apprehension. Was she really going to lay it so flat for him? That he was a freak? He knew this and she knew this, so that couldn't be what she meant . . . Besides, Mewtwo did not take Leila for one so frank.

"I . . ." When she blushed slightly, she turned her face away from Mewtwo once more. It frustrated Mewtwo some because he wanted so much to see her face when it was flushed with heat, a tantalizing prospect that teased his heartstrings raw.

Finally, Leila whispered, "I thought . . . Please excuse me if I seem too forward, but . . . I thought you so handsome I could hardly breathe . . ."

Mewtwo froze. The thought was too much to handle, she was taunting him in the cruelest way possible . . .

"What else?"

The words slipped form his lips before he could stop them.

Leila seemed to hesitate in the cool night air before saying softly, "Your eyes . . . are the most striking feature." The contact of their hands seemed to burn with suppressed emotion. "They are most beautiful . . . So dazzling. The depth to them was so arresting that I thought I would lose myself in them." She paused once more before whispering her deepest guilt, "But I held no qualms over losing myself . . ."

Mewtwo felt his heart clenching so tight it was a wonder that it didn't explode from inside of him. Hand gripping Leila's hand too tight, he worked out around a tight throat, "I—Thank you for sharing . . . Leila. It is hard for me to believe your words, in truth. I . . ." Mewtwo closed his eyes against her own radiance, unbearable to look at, before he divulged more of himself to her.

"I always thought I was hideous. I thought I was warped, twisted, unnatural . . ." He shook his head, taking a stabilizing breath. "But then, you turn all of my thoughts against myself with your heartfelt confession, and now I don't know what to think."

Leila was quiet a moment as the coolness of night washed over their bodies. "Mewtwo," she said softly. "Why do you think yourself hideous? You are certainly not. While your hands are different from most, they are not abnormal. Your wrists are wide, strong, and yet they carry an elegance few are blessed to have. Your fingers show the power embodied within you."

Mewtwo listened with rapt attention and, also, in awe. It was . . . so different to have his body described the way she did. She saw him as aristocratic, comely even. It astounded him.

"Your body is most athletic as well," she continued in the quiet. "Your thighs are built powerfully with muscle, as is the rest of you. Your tail looks as if it has the strength to snap trees. Your chest is slimmer, but no less sturdy than the rest, showing that you are extremely agile as well."

He let her continue speaking. It was selfish of himself, he knew, but he couldn't help but thrive in the feeling it gave him to hear such wonderful things said about him when things were always said in such negative connotation.

"Everything about you is most . . ." she faltered over her words, "resplendent." The choice of word actually surprised Mewtwo. It wasn't what he had expected, but he didn't argue with her. "However, it is always the eyes that are the crowning jewels of your beauty. They are luminous with a depth of emotion I have never experienced or seen, and so richly colored amethyst that they seem to glow from within you at all times." He was stunned when she had to take a breath to steady herself. Mewtwo looked over at her, and she returned his look.

Despite how he bordered on sleep, Mewtwo propped himself up on an elbow to stroke a finger across her cheek. She gave a shivering sigh, a tremble singing through her bones.

"You speak so highly of me," he said softly, unable to imagine it. How, and why did she care so much? "But . . . You have not let me reciprocate this kind of appraisal.

"Radiant," Mewtwo whispered in return, tracing his finger across her silky skin. "You shine like the sun . . ." He couldn't stop himself from pressing his face to hers, taking a deep breath of her supple skin. For her to be so soft astounded him. "You make even the sun pale in comparison; the stars are nothing but the glitter on your cheeks; beauty itself weeps for how exquisite you are; no words can describe how fair you are." Mewtwo gave a grumbling sigh before lying down next to her, unable to keep his eyes open. He was losing his train of thought—he had had so many other beautiful things to say about her, and now it was all slipping from his grasp.

Instead, he settled with, "And a thousand other lavishing phrases, spoken and unspoken, to try forevermore to describe your beauteous allure, only to fail . . ."

Before Mewtwo could finish pouring sweet libations of words on her, however, sleep butted its intruding head in, bringing Mewtwo beneath its power.

* * *

><p>"Leila, I must say, you handled yourself very well back in Rustburo City."<p>

She turned away to hide a blush. "Ah, well . . . I only had the strength to do what needed doing because you were there. With you by my side, I feel as if I have more strength than the world can compare."

How had he not seen it before? Beneath this Gardevoir's façade lied a steely will that he had somehow missed. Mewtwo vowed to never underestimate his beautiful comrade again.

Strolling through the northernmost trees of Rustboro City, both Mewtwo and Gardevoir escaped the sight of the city folk and instead peacefully made their way around. They would make it to her home by the next day—it made Mewtwo's step heavier in light of that knowledge. He struggled not to show his desolate feelings and acquired a positive façade for the cheerful Gardevoir next to him.

Mewtwo shook his head. "You speak so highly of me."

"It's true," she disagreed softly.

He just shook his head again. "It is hard to believe that you rely on me so much for support. You have taken care of yourself fine before the point of letting me join you on your journey. Why am I so important to you?"

Leila glanced over at him quizzically. "Why is it so hard for you to believe that you are important to me?"

Mewtwo felt his words lost in the depths of space. Why, indeed? The answer was quite simple, and it was all based on his past. And that was something he could not reveal to her. How come she always managed to put him in these positions? She wasn't demanding him for the answers, either, and it only made Mewtwo feel as if he should answer out of courtesy. He was so used to being used, and hated the thought of being a puppet for anyone to use. He struggled on the inside before finally heaving a heavy sigh.

"I cannot answer you, Leila," he finally said, turning his face away. "Such information . . . is not meant for delicate ears such as your own." That burning, lead weight pressed heavily against his heart. It was good they would make it to her home that day. The sooner he left her the sooner she became safe again, the sooner life went back to normal, and yet, the sooner Mewtwo would find his ragged heart torn more. It was inevitable, but it was better to face the raw facts where they stood instead of deluding himself.

Feeling a tap on his opposite shoulder, Mewtwo turned with a glare to the person intruding—only to find that there was no one there. Puzzled, Mewtwo didn't contemplate it for long until he turned back to find Leila gone.

"Leila?" he immediately burst, spreading his psychic powers out to find her—and felt her hidden someplace off. He heard her giggle.

This time, he hesitated nervously. "Leila?"

"I'm right here!" He turned to her voice and found no one. Instead, a slim finger tapped his back, and before Mewtwo could catch sight of her, Leila teleported away again. Unbidden, a roguish grin spread across Mewtwo's face, former hopelessness forgotten.

"So that is how it is going to be, is it?" Mewtwo taunted her gently, eyes raking the forest around him. "Where could you be hiding?" Desolate feelings lost in half an instant with the playful game, Mewtwo sensed her with his psychic abilities, hidden in the trees. Teleporting to her, Mewtwo reached out only to see she was gone again. Someone tapped his shoulder and he turned, but Leila evaded even before he set sights on her.

"Mewtwo," she cajoled back playfully. "Can't you catch me?" She laughed gaily, and Mewtwo growled playfully, prowling on all fours.

"You'll find tempting me like this was not your smoothest move, Leila," he teased back, nostrils flaring as he caught her scent in the air. His psychic powers picked up on her first, and he teleported right in front of her. Unfortunately for him, Leila was a step ahead of him already and teleported behind him, giving a rollicking pull of his tail. Lunging around, he nearly got his fingers brushing her skirts before she teleported to safety again.

When Mewtwo felt her tap his shoulder again, this time he didn't let her get away. Frivolous teasing gone, Mewtwo gave a growl and pounced at her. Leila shrieked in delight when his weight collided with her, tackling her gently into the ground. Her little screams redoubled in effort when Mewtwo took the chance to tickle her stomach. Leila squirmed beneath him with laughter like bells, striving to push his hands away from her slim belly.

"Mewtwo!" she gasped breathlessly, shrieking a little in between her words. "Stop! Oh, please, I give up!"

"Do you now?" he growled, eyes twinkling above her starry eyes. He let her wiggle from beneath him, crouching and splaying his fingers. Leila tried to teleport away but Mewtwo followed, launching tiny pokes to her side. Leila twisted and screamed each time, trying to get away. Mewtwo teleported to her before she teleported behind him. Thinking to get his tail again? Mewtwo wrapped it around her slim waist, hoisting her up high and making her squeal. Her hands gripped his strong tail possessively as she fought for balance high in the air, and that was when Mewtwo spotted him.

It was impossible to miss the blazing red "R" against the black suit. Mewtwo's eyes widened at the sight of the man, the sight of his camera, and the sight of him speaking quietly into his communicator as he jerked and ran from the place.

Anger tore through him like a tsunami.

"Mewtwo?"

That was when Mewtwo realized that his body had tensed and curled for the attack, and Leila was feeling his tail tightening around her.

Swiftly setting her down, Mewtwo turned to her, unable to hide the alarm in his eyes. "Stay here," he ordered her.

"What?" She reached out to him, grabbing him before he could teleport after the retreating man she had not seen. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said brusquely. "Just stay here."

"But—"

"Stay!" he snapped, and Leila recoiled, releasing him. Mewtwo teleported instantly, following the man that fled from him.

With a snarling hiss, Mewtwo surged up and took him to the ground, making the man cry in fear momentarily before he gained composure again. Mewtwo let his claws dig into the pinned Team Rocket grunt, teeth bared threateningly.

"How does your master know of me?" Mewtwo growled with telepathy, knowing the man wouldn't understand him otherwise. But that was the question that plagued Mewtwo most now: how did Giovanni come to know of his existence again? He had wiped his memory!

The grunt just sneered, spitting in Mewtwo's face. "I'm not afraid of your power. Giovanni holds more power than you can ever hope to compete with!"

"Yes, let's talk about power," Mewtwo snarled, claws digging into the man's flesh. He paled and twitched beneath him, but was ready to meet his doom as Mewtwo's eyes began to blaze horrific blue. "My power, so clearly demonstrated while I crush your futile endeavors at defiance and resistance!"

Encasing the helpless man with a Psychic, he began to scream as Mewtwo carefully went through his body, breaking every bone one by one in his body. He mutilated the man's body in gruesome ways before he finally put the man out of his misery with a quick jerk on his wrist, breaking his neck instantly—

"Mewtwo, no!"

Her voice slashed through the fury, and cold shame poured upon him. Her pink eyes widened at the sight of the mangled man at Mewtwo's feet, and Mewtwo recoiled in pain. He teleported the twisted corpse beyond her sight before teleporting back to her. Leila's eyes were rolling back in her head, a hand pressing against her chest.

"Leila!"

She crumpled, and Mewtwo caught her in his hands, heart slamming in his chest. He trembled on the inside. What had he done? Unconsciously, he brought her closer, protectively, but the sick irony was that he wanted to protect her from himself. How could he possibly do that by holding her?

She stirred in his arms, and Mewtwo's tail whipped anxiously. "Leila?" he whispered.

The Gardevoir shivered. She pressed a hand to her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut before turning into his strong chest; then, she twisted away, back again, and finally stood straight.

"Mewtwo . . . Why?" Mewtwo cringed. "He was . . . innocent . . ."

Against his will, Mewtwo felt his eyes flashing daggers. "Team Rocket is not innocent in any way," he said with quiet resentment.

Her wary eyes met him. "He did us no harm," she said softly. "There was no need to—to . . ."

Mewtwo felt his fur bristling. "No, Leila," he said thinly in the sunny day, "Team Rocket is NOT innocent. The presence of him in this very vicinity is a grave threat to our safety—YOUR safety. You don't understand him like I do."

Her eyes finally slammed into his with glazing hurt. "Of course I don't understand!" she cried out, and Mewtwo's heart clenched in conflict when he saw the tears in her eyes. "You won't tell me anything! Mewtwo, I couldn't possibly begin to understand unless you tell me something!"

His throat tightened. He reached out to wipe her tears away. "Leila—"

She took a slight step back, wiping her own tears away. Mewtwo froze, feeling something dark constricting his neck. Leila took a deep breath. "Mewtwo," she said placidly, "I can't help you unless I know what is going on. I can't understand your . . . animosity towards these people unless you explain who these people are. Who is Giovanni? Who is Team Rocket? Are they related in any sort of way?" She hesitated a moment, and then she reached out her hand, cupping his cheek gently.

"Mewtwo . . ." she said softly, "I . . . I want to help you so much. I look at you, and I see so much that you need someone to share yourself with. You . . . your slumped shoulders . . . You are so oppressed by your past, whatever has happened, your affair with this enemy . . . There is no wrong in bearing yourself to someone. If it is my well-being you are concerned for, don't be. I can handle whatever it is, I promise."

Her hand burned like fire against his cheek, stoking the flames of his guilt. Fighting within himself, Mewtwo shut his eyes, gripping her hand with his own. After a long moment of struggle, Mewtwo opened his purple eyes to hers.

"I . . . can't . . ."

Her eyes tightened in disappointment. "Why not?"

Mewtwo caught her tightly in a hug, giving a shuddering breath as he clutched her tightly. "Leila, I don't mean it like that," he whispered tightly, unconsciously pressing his lips to the top of her head. "I just . . . The reason you can't know is part of the secret." After another hesitant moment, Leila's compassion overflowed for him and he felt her slim arms wrap around him comfortingly. "Leila, I'm sorry," Mewtwo whispered again, "but . . . whether or not you think the same, it is for the best. We will . . . part ways . . . when we make it to your home."

Her arms tightened around him. "Mewtwo—"

"It is true," he interrupted gently, burying his face into her. His arms relished this close intimacy with her. "You are too . . . sweet to defy your mother. And I am too . . . dangerous for you to keep associating with."

"Mewtwo . . ." Her hands stole up his back, splaying here. Mewtwo's breath caught painfully in his throat when her soft lips brushed his collarbone.

"It is for the best," he finally choked out quietly. They stood in the soft breeze of fall, and the breeze caught Leila's skirt, letting it billow softly over them both. "You will be safe with your mother, and I . . . and I . . ."

Her tender grip tightened. "You will what?"

Mewtwo didn't answer, and instead held her tightly; stroking his abnormal fingers down her slim back; following the gentle curve of her body.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:**

**...So.  
>Let me explain: I'VE BEEN HAVING A GOD-AWFUL WRITER'S BLOCK!<strong>

**This has literally come together sentence by sentence over these month(s) that I've struggled with it, but finally its long enough and good enough to stick up here.**

**My problem? The biggest problem was that I forgot what was going to happen with Leila's mother. I'm hopeless. The other thing is this was my first story I was writing that I actually knew the whole story while I started writing it.**

**And, I've fogotten what the plot was.  
>And since I can't remember the plot, I'm all like, "oh mah gawsh, what am I supposed to do?" instead of just plowing ahead like I normally do so cheerfully like "Oh well, it falls how it lands!"<br>**

**Whatever that meant.**

**Anyway, horrible writer's block I'm fighting tooth and nail and so I'll keep battering away at it in hopes I can finish this because I am NOT giving up on this. I'm just . . . uber slow. :P**

* * *

><p>Mewtwo felt himself swallowing with slight dread the closer they came to Leila's home. Sensing his agitation, Leila gave his hand a small squeeze and a shy, supportive smile.<p>

"Don't be nervous, Mewtwo," Leila said sweetly. "It will be just fine."

Mewtwo swallowed before looking straight ahead. His heart did a rapid pitter-patter in his chest because he felt sickened on the inside to realize that things would not play out as smoothly as Leila believed it would.

Instead, Mewtwo looked over at Leila with a small, uncertain smile. "Look at me," he said a bit wryly. "It is you who should be worried of her mother's reaction to her leaving and I am worrying of how they will receive me. It is unkind of me to place worry of myself over you."

Leila rolled her eyes, a gesture Mewtwo assumed her mother would perceive as unladylike. "It's fine, Mewtwo. I think Mother will be happy to see me home again. And besides, who could resist your charm?"

She sent a mischievous smile his way, and Mewtwo's heart sputtered uncertainly when he realized she was _flirting_ with him. It took a minute for him to collect his scattered thoughts. "Leila?"

"Hm? Yes, Mewtwo?"

A small grin cracked his solemn face then as Leila led him through the trees. "Leila, I'm absolutely certain that this time your teasing has escalated to just a bit more . . . perhaps, a flirt?"

He didn't get the chance to see the kisses of pink in her cheeks because she turned away, a hand floating up to hide her face. "Well . . . I suppose you could call it that."

Seizing the opportunity that had presented itself, Mewtwo let go of her hand and teleported. She jumped, looking to the spot he had been in, and he tapped her opposite shoulder. Leila looked again, eyes wide, but Mewtwo had teleported again to the opposite side. This time, he leaned forward and lightly touched his lips to her cheek. Leila gasped audibly, turning, but Mewtwo had teleported to the opposite side again.

Mewtwo took her hand, kneeling down and kissed the back of her hand too. "And that," he asserted mischievously, "was a flirt, also." His lips tipped in amusement at Leila's shy indignation as she pulled her hand away, covering her rosy face from his sight.

"Oh—Mewtwo! You are such a twat!" She skirted away when he made a playful grab at her billowing dress. "Please, we're almost to my home—behave yourself!"

Mewtwo covered his anxieties with another deep chuckle. "Trust me, Leila, when I say that I will be on my absolute _best_ behavior."

Tapering her blush down, Leila sent Mewtwo an aggrieved look with a slanting, wry smile. "And I think that is why I should be most afraid . . ."

Mewtwo guffawed quietly to himself at how easily rattled she was, following her though the forest near Rusturf Tunnel. Leila's steps picked up—with it he heard her breaths quicken, and she didn't notice her face flushing a little with excitement.

"It's just over this next ridge!" she gushed, hands holding her skirts up so they didn't snag on the forest floor. Mewtwo's eyes warmed as he followed her, the only thing hinting at his apprehension the rapid twitch of his tail. As they crested over the next small hill, Leila suddenly stopped, clasping her hands to her chest, filled with emotion.

"Oh . . . Home sweet home . . ."

The cliché line spilled from her lips, but it sounded nothing cliché to Mewtwo who heard the deep reverence in her voice, like a baby sparrow that had made it back to her loving nest. Following her eyes, Mewtwo took in the sight of Leila's home.

They were nestled against the farther side of Rusturf Tunnel, the trees ringing them like a halo of sun against glass. He could already see many Kirlia prancing around, singing and dancing in the sun. There were Gardevoir too, holding tiny Ralts and letting them stumble about in the grass and wild flowers that grew in the whimsical little area. Mewtwo even spied two Gallade which meant that there had to be a sparse supply of Dawn Stones. Trees loitered in their small clearing, creating quaint places to play hide and seek, and serving as a source of food for the hungry group of psychic types that lived there. A small running brook disappeared down from the side of Rusturf Tunnel and passed through the expanse, moistening the ground and leading a bit farther into the trees until he lost sight of it.

His heart flipped uncertainly. She was home. Where did it leave him?

Instead, he focused on the bewitching little clearing she called home, and let his lips curl up. "It really is a charming place," he said as positively as possible. He let his purple eyes slant over to her with warmth. "I can see why you were so eager to return."

She smiled at him, eyes twinkling with delight. "I love home—and the sweet smell!" She pressed her hands to her chest tighter, taking a deep breath, and Mewtwo followed suit. He caught the faint scents of pine needles and also the sweet aroma of the flowers in the breeze.

"Leil—" The excited call cut off short, and this time, it was more hesitant. "Leila?"

Leila's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Amity!"

Mewtwo watched the Gardevoir run up to another Gardevoir, practically skipping because she kicked up her feet with exuberance. The girls embraced tightly, and held each other arms apart as they looked at each other.

"Goodness, you say you wanted to explore the world and you must have really meant it!" Amity said, smiling at her friend. "You were gone well over two months! I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too!" Leila said with a kiss to her cheek and another quick squeeze. "I may have been gone long, but I've had wonderful adventures and met wonderful pokemon!"

Amity bit her lip, and Mewtwo bore the brunt of her wary gaze. "I see that . . ."

Leila smiled though, untroubled at her friend's hesitation. She pulled her along, smiling reassuringly at Mewtwo. He swallowed slightly, stepping back slightly as if to flee from a harmless Gardevoir.

"This is Mewtwo," she said, gesturing to him. "He has saved me twice now from heaps of trouble." Her lips curled up. "Mewtwo, this is my best friend, Amity."

When the other Gardevoir held out her hand in hesitant greeting, Mewtwo swallowed his unrest and reached out his abnormal hand. She took the hand fairly fearlessly to his astonishment.

"Hello," he said quietly, and she cocked her head slightly at him.

"Hello," Amity said back.

Mewtwo released her hand, but Leila smiled at them. "We met just on the other side of Meteor Falls," Leila said conversationally, and Amity's eyes popped wide.

She whirled on her friend. "The _other_ side of Meteor Falls?" she gasped, covering her mouth. "Leila, you didn't! That far? Your mother would have a heart attack!"

Leila swiftly covered a blush with her hands, but her eyes alighted immediately. "Where is she, Amity?"

Amity grinned. "Come on! She's going to be so happy to see you back!"

Amity quickly took her friend's hand, and Leila grabbed at Mewtwo's. His eyes widened in surprise as he was led by Leila who was led by Amity. "Come on!" she said with an excited light in her eyes. "Mother will love you!"

Mewtwo found himself pulled along unwillingly deeper into the space that served as Leila's home. It was awkward, almost unnerving, and it made the fine hairs on the back of his neck crawl. They stared as they passed, and Mewtwo found himself loping along with strange strides unsuited for himself as the two girls dragged him along.

It wasn't too long until Amity brought them both into the solace of the trees where little Kirlia and Ralts laughter faded a bit to an echo. "Lady Tremaine!" Amity smiled brightly, waving her hand to her two companions. "Lady Tremaine, Leila is home with company!"

Mewtwo saw a lone Gardevoir rise from a low stump, completely discarding whatever she had been weaving. She stared at her daughter, and then at Mewtwo, eyes jumping between the two, but she didn't move a step.

Leila stepped forward with a shy smile. "Mother, I—I came back. Just like I promised." A single, strangled gasp worked its way through the older Gardevoir's throat, and Mewtwo watched Leila's compassion take over. "Oh, Mother . . ." She rushed forward, embracing the Gardevoir that mechanically locked her arms around her. After a moment, her hazy eyes focused back in and she gripped Leila so hard she nearly broke her back.

"Leila—! How could you do such a thing to me! Leaving like that, and not knowing if you would come back . . ." Mewtwo felt his tail twitch, feeling like a useless third wheel in this place, but Amity was still to the side, smiles all over. Lady Tremaine held Leila at arm's length twisting her this way and that by her shoulders. "Goodness, I should forbid you from ever leaving again."

"Oh, Mother, please don't do that," Leila said softly, squeezing her mother's hands. "I really had a wonderful time. And oh, the ocean, Mother! You should just see it! So majestic and powerful!"

Lady Tremaine gave a little huff, but her eyes weren't harsh, just . . . Mewtwo tried not to stare too hard to find out what it was. "Yes, I understand," she said to her glowing daughter. She gave a pointed look over Leila's shoulder, and Mewtwo felt himself tense instinctively at her judgmental look at him. "However, who is . . . _this_ with you?"

Mewtwo felt himself swallow when Lady Tremaine's eyes flicked up and down him, sizing him up, his abnormalities, his threat. However, Leila was exceptionally oblivious as she smiled brightly, giving a slight gesture to him.

"Mother, this is Mewtwo! Mewtwo, this is my darling mother I've told you about."

Uncertain if he was supposed to offer his hand the way he had done Amity, he waited to see if Lady Tremaine would. She didn't.

"Well," she said, a forced quirk of her lip tipping her mouth into a coy smile, "I hope you didn't tell . . . _Mewtwo_ too much, Leila."

Mewtwo's eyes flicked between Leila and Lady Tremaine, and he saw Leila hide a blush behind her hands, a gesture her mother didn't see since she was busy scrutinizing Mewtwo. "Of course not, Mother, he's only a friend." Leila smoothed her skirt as her mother crossed her arms. "I ran into a little bit of trouble on the road, a pokemon trainer and an Onix. Mewtwo saved me from both."

"Did he?" Lady Tremaine said with an almost indifferent air. Mewtwo locked eyes with her, tail whipping as he stared her down, unwilling to waver an inch.

_I know what you think of me. And it will not break me._

Lady Tremaine didn't flinch, but instead said, "I'm very gracious to you for protecting my daughter." She took Leila's hand saying, "Now if you will excuse us, Mewtwo, Amity, I would like to speak with my daughter in private. It has been a long time since I have had a chat with her." Lady Tremaine gave a strict nod to Mewtwo and Amity. "Amity, why don't you take our . . . guest out to meet the others. I am sure they would be most . . . intrigued to meet my daughter's friend."

Mewtwo felt his heart sputter uncertainly. Face them all? Without Leila? His gut churned at the thought of the scorn he would receive that absolutely dripped with venom from her mother's voice. Leila looked a bit confused at Lady Tremaine's tone, but she brightened at the suggestion.

"That's a wonderful idea, Mother!" Her face pinched into a smile, and she gave a slight curtsy to the two of them. "Mewtwo, Amity, go ahead without me. I'll catch up another time after I have spent time with Mother."

Amity smiled, a bit unnerved by Mewtwo's countenance, but nodded. "Of course. Come on, Mewtwo, let's go meet some others. If you're a friend of Leila, I'm everyone is going to like you."

She rather fearlessly took his hand, friendly no matter what and who it was. Mewtwo sent a last, worried glance over his shoulder at Leila, but she just nodded and smiled supportively as Amity disappeared off with him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:**

**Short . . . but it's a good short. It gets the plot moving where I want it to. Also (oddly) this was written while listening to "Short Hair" a song on the Mulan soundtrack.**

**Also, I called Amity that because her name means "friendship". I called Leila that because her name means "night" which is a perfect fit for Mewtwo. I named her mother Lady Tremaine because Cinderella's evil step-mother was named that. :D**

* * *

><p>Mewtwo hear high-pitched giggling as he hoisted the tiny Ralts up on his tail again. Tiny arms and legs hugged around him, and Mewtwo glanced back to see bright eyes and a smile. A tiny smile tried to play around his lips, and he looked back down by a pull on his arm.<p>

Using a Psychic, he brought over a ripe daisy. He plucked it from the air with his abnormal fingers and held it out to the small girl. "How about this one?" he asked, shying away from the many eyes pinned to him.

The Kirlia smiled, taking it and smelling it. "It's perfect!" she laughed, and she put it in the crook of her arm with the rest of the specially picked flowers that were especially starting to vary in color. Mewtwo nervously scanned his eyes over his surroundings, acutely aware of all the eyes pinned to him interacting with the two children.

It was expected for them to watch him closely, but what he hadn't expected was two well raised children come up and ask him to play since no one would speak with him. They were all a little wary of him, and eventually, he began picking flowers and juggling this little boy. Amity knelt next to him, picking her own flower bouquet and sending him reassuring smiles.

Instead, Mewtwo felt his gaze drift. His eyes pinned to the center trees where Leila was yet _still_ inside, and the word her mother had wanted with her seemed to have turned into many. It sickened him with worry on the inside because he felt a chill prickle up his spine and tingle in his abnormality behind his neck. His hands clenched a moment before he forcibly guided his hand to pick another flower for the young Kirlia. What could possibly be taking them . . . ?

A soft sound from Amity drew his eyes upward to her. A slight smile was quirking her lips. "Leila was right," she simply said.

Mewtwo blinked, handing the young Kirlia another wild flower. He jiggled the boy on his tail more, making him shriek. "She was right about what?" he asked.

Her lips puckered, and a slight blush started to stain her cheeks. "Well, you may be really different, but there is something decidedly . . . handsome about the way you look."

Momentarily, Mewtwo was wiped of all knowledge of where he was. "W . . . What?"

She smiled, bright and big and open unlike Leila who always tried to hide it. "Well, you're just different, that's all. If you don't mind me saying, Leila's got good taste—you have a nice face, you're built well, and while I don't know what THIS is—" and she gestured to the back of her head—"It doesn't really take away from anything. It's weird, but it makes you stand out. Makes you look like you carry a lot of power and makes you intimidating."

Mewtwo fingered a pink blossom uncertainly with his abnormal finger. "Is that what you truly think?"

"Of course."

His lips twisted as he glanced over at her. "You're very blunt."

"As always," she said with a roll of her eyes and a shrug of her shoulders. "Mom hates it so much. She kept telling me—and still does—that I have to be gentle with my words, but I always preferred it as to the point and honest. I can't stand it when people beat around the bush."

Handing the Kirlia another flower and letting the Ralts ride his tail, Mewtwo's eyes warmed a little. "I agree," he said, slowly opening and closing his hands. "If I am not wanted, I would rather know now, and not later . . ." Unconsciously, his gaze drew up to the children, and then to the forest. "Before I create too many bonds to this place."

Amity made a "pfft" sound with her lips. "I highly doubt it. I don't see what problem they could have with you. You're just different, that's all. I see no harm in that."

Mewtwo looked up to the trees once more, and his heart sputtered to a stop seeing Leila run from it, hands to her face. His mouth turned dry.

"I am afraid the others here do no share your convictions," he whispered softly. He passed the Ralts to Amity and handed the Kirlia one last flower before meeting Leila with anxieties consuming his heart.

She was sobbing. Mewtwo gripped her upper arms tightly, and he gave her a small shake to jar her back to her senses. "Leila?" he whispered tensely. "Leila, calm down, please. What happened?" Helplessly, Mewtwo wiped away the tears that streamed down her cheeks, and his chest hurt when he saw new tears replace them. He gave her another gentle shake. "Leila, calm down. Tell me what's wrong."

His chest tightened. He knew even before she said it what it was, and he had known the whole time what was going to happen. "Sh-she—Mother—the elders—" Leila hiccupped, wiping her cheeks and sniffling deep. With her hands clasped in his, Mewtwo felt her tremble deep in her bones. "They said—they said you can't stay. They—they don't want you here!" Leila collapsed into sobs, falling weakly into his chest; his arms instinctively held her up, but he refused to hold her close—it would only make their imminent departure that much more painful.

"And I can't go with you," she wept, her tears wetting his chest. "I have to stay here. I'm—I'm forbidden to leave. They said—" After several moments of trying to get enough breath, she burst, "They said you were dangerous! They said—they don't know, Mewtwo, I tried to get them to understand—!"

"Shh," he said softly, giving her another tiny shake. "Leila, hush." His calm, quiet orders forced her to collect herself. Leila swallowed and wiped her face again, hands plucking weakly at his chest. He memorized the pattern of her fingers splayed across his chest; he committed to memory the softness of her skin; he breathed deep the tantalizing fragrance that was her.

"Leila," he whispered, "I warned you . . . Not everyone can look at me in the way you do." A soft hiccup escaped her lips, tugging at his heartstrings. "No one looks at me in the way you do." He gently pried her from his chest, neck bobbing as he looked down on her.

Possibly for the last time.

"Leila," he said softly, "promise me this one thing."

Tears loitered in wet eyelashes, clumping them together. "What is it?"

A painful breath choked his throat. Mewtwo drew in a steadying breath at the sorrowing look in her pink eyes, and he took a step back, shaking his head. "Please . . . Just—just forget about me."

Her eyes widened in alarm. "What? Mewtwo, don't say that—!"

"No," he interrupted, forcing his hands to let her go. His jaw clenched, and Mewtwo tried not to quiver. "Leila, I've told you many times over—I'm not good for you. I _am_ dangerous, your mother is right. If you will not listen to me, then please, heed your mother's warning!"

Leila flinched back as if he had struck her. A pained sound caught in the back of his throat, and Mewtwo groaned, gripping the back of his neck. "Leila, please . . . I promise, I am doing this for your own good. Team Rocket knows I exist now, and there is no telling what kinds of peril I may meet at my every waking hour. I do not want to push that on you. Your mother is right—stay away from me. I only leave desolation in my wake."

She was crying again, tears welling up in her gorgeous pink eyes. "Mewtwo, please, don't say that! It's not true! You—"

"Leila, this is goodbye. Don't follow, and don't come looking for me."

"Mewtwo, wait—!"

He backed away again, evading her touch that would burn the fires of memories into his skin. He turned to see Lady Tremaine at the edge of the forest, an unreadable expression on her face. Mewtwo inclined his body towards her. "I will trouble you with my presence no longer," he stated to her. "Your daughter will once again be safe."

"Mewtwo, please, don't do this—''

Mewtwo shook his head, agony tearing through him when he saw Leila's grief-stricken face. "No. Leila, just forget about me. It is better this way. Just . . . pretend . . . I never existed."

With a cry, she lunged for him, and he felt her fingers brush his arms once more before he teleported away. It was as if she were trying to drag him back, and even if she had wanted to follow him, he made sure she couldn't—he erased the pattern of his teleports, twisting the print of Psychic that could take her to him, mangling it so she could never find out where he had gone to. He did this several times for the sake of making extra sure he could cut himself from her until he ended up in the snow. Bitterly cold snow and howling winds, the snowstorm whipped brutally around him. Ice pricked his skin and the cold bit deep, and it suited him.

Mewtwo shivered, but it had nothing to do with the freezing temperatures.

Gone. Just like that. He had let her slip from his grasp. But what good could have come from it, anyway? He was meant for no one. With an angered snarl, he pounded his fists into the snow. He was meant for nothing but destruction, built to be damned and to be a slave. Engineered for one man, and one man alone.

A prickle of rage crawled up his spine. One man . . . A man that now remembered he existed, a man that still would stop at nothing to enslave him again. Fury rose and blotched his face disgusting red.

_Giovanni_. The true source of all his hate, all his misery, the shackles of his past that chained him there to drown. Bloodlust tore across Mewtwo's countenance.

So, Giovanni wanted the strongest pokemon alive? He wanted to challenge the very might he had created? He wanted to test his will, his mental stability, his very existence? He wanted confrontation?

Mewtwo jolted to his feet, fury of the damned burning in his veins. He wouldn't wait—he would bring the fight to him. Mewtwo teleported, heading straight for the Team Rocket headquarters. The landscape blurred beneath his feet and he turned his blazing eyes upon a sight far in the distance.

He wanted the ultimate?

Mewtwo's lips pulled back across his teeth in a heinous snarl.

_He got it._


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:**

**Hm, sorry this story is taking me so long. I really can't figure out why, but I have massive writer's blocks on this. :P Anyway, watched Mewtwo Strike's Back for inspiration, and then it ruined my mood cause I cried like a wuss from nostalgia :D Then I had to wait a couple days to get back in the mood to write this violent chapter.**

**Song of inspiration, just remove the spaces: www. youtube watch?v=EfNon7Mjxdg**

**"I've given up  
>I'm sick of feeling<br>Is there nothing you can say  
>Take this all away<br>I'm suffocating  
>Tell me what the fuck is wrong<br>With me**

**Put me out of my misery  
>Put me out of my misery<br>Put me out of my-  
>Put me out of my FUCKING MISERY!"<strong>

* * *

><p>Blinding rage had a way of changing a soul.<p>

Mewtwo meditated just miles outside of Team Rocket's headquarters, muffled hatred emanating from his tense form.

He despised them; they, who had created him. From the start he had been a pawn to their tools, a helpless fetus cruelly spliced for the strongest genes possible. Indeed, what had not killed Mewtwo—but had killed countless copies of him—had only made him stronger. Harsher. Colder.

He took a meticulously controlled breath, willing his strained muscles to relax as he meditated to full strength. He had been created to be a slave. A slave built to destroy. And now that he realized that he was truly a sentient being, he did not want to be locked down by the purpose one man gave him.

Mewtwo's brows pinched with tempered anger. Created to destroy . . . After meeting . . . After her, she had shown him the true error of the ways of hate, deception, and murder, and after this day, he vowed for no more. But this day . . . This day was one last, desperate plunge into a chasm of hell of which he would finally rid himself of the tyrant who ruled with a haunting fist of iron.

Mewtwo twitched, feeling the imaginary prickles of metal armor crawl over his skin. The screams ripped across his mind; conflagrating fires; capsules of sickening liquids; white lab coats stained red—

Cinnabar Island.

A fire gym leader.

Red fires of fury unleashed by the ultimate.

Mewtwo jerked to his feet, chest heaving with barely controlled breaths. Enough meditating was enough. Now they would meet their inevitable doom!

Darting across the skies, Mewtwo's purple eyes blazed blue at the sight of the hideout. With an enraged cry, Mewtwo exploded through a window on feet and hands. He hissed at the scientists that recoiled with mixtures of horror, delight, and curiosity.

"_Giovanni_," Mewtwo snarled. His hackles rose; the fine furs of his body stood straight; his claws extended. "I'VE COME FOR YOU!"

The scientists erupted in a scramble, white coattails the flashes of red to Mewtwo's inner bull. With a raging screech, Mewtwo unleashed his powers.

A bubble of psychic energy blasted through the room, clearing the floor of every desk, chair, computer, and person, and it smashed them all against the walls. Computers sparked electricity and shattered, and he left the room for lost. Darting into the hallways, more hunched and animalistic than he had been in years, Mewtwo hissed at the oncoming grunts. Pokemon were sent out—familiar Golbat, Raticate, and Wheezing.

With another vicious Psychic, Mewtwo tore all the bats from the halls and broke their wings from the weight of the attack. Tossing the trash aside, Mewtwo used a Barrier to ward off the Smokescreen, telekinetic powers tingling in the tube on the back of his neck. Uncaring of not seeing, Mewtwo torched the entire hall with a sweltering Fire Blast.

Agonized screams filled the passage. Both human and pokemon alike writhed on the ground with festering burns, screaming to be put out of their misery. Mewtwo's cruel eyes raked over the blistering red skin, pus oozing from the popped boils.

He left them to suffer.

Suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to become more physical, Mewtwo snarled at the next who dared approach him. Tossing aside Voltorbs and Electrodes until they smashed through walls, Mewtwo threw himself towards the next with claws extended and fires of fury blazing through his eyes. His claws sank into soft flesh, and a man screamed as Mewtwo used his claws to rend him to pieces. Making his way down the smoking hall, Mewtwo hacked and slashed and even bit chucks of meat to whomever so dared to oppose him.

His mind tipped. Teetering on the brink of insanity, so close he could taste the sweet oblivion on his tongue, Mewtwo wrenched his thoughts away from primal instincts. With a terrible snarl, Mewtwo forced himself to use his psychic abilities again, determined not to fall as low as a mindless beast.

He took his precious time destroying everything in his path. He tossed filing cabinets of invaluable information with a flick of his wrist, lambasting them into important equipment that shattered beneath the weight. With another jerk of his hand, Mewtwo sent that same filing cabinet crashing down on several Raticate, crunching their bones. Body fluids seeped out from beneath.

Yowling in hellish determination, Mewtwo felt that hideously familiar presence of his late master in the base simply watching his rampage. Roaring again, Mewtwo let an immeasurably powerful Psystrike engulf the perimeter in ruin.

The sudden drain of energy was almost startling, but Mewtwo ignored it and instead screeched at the next. Shadow Balls slammed into each and knocked them flat, and he prowled down the halls with murderous intent. Slinging humans aside, breaking numerous parts of their bodies with Psychics, Mewtwo howled with rage, pieces of himself breaking inside. Seizing his next screaming victim, Mewtwo whipped him above his head. Then, he _ripped_ the scientist in half by the waist, a fountain of blood splashing down his back. Chunks of warm, wet flesh smacked on his shoulders.

Soon, despite what orders they had been given, the grunts avoided him. They ran if they saw him, and they let him stalk right up to Giovanni's door. Snapping the wood like twigs, Mewtwo stood in Giovanni's office door panting; sweat and blood made his fur clump together sticky; a demented light danced in his eyes, threatening to overcome him at any moment.

_"Giovanni."_

He began to clap.

Mewtwo's eyes blazed at the man he could not shake from his past, something that clung to him like a sickly shroud he could never escape. Each clap cut the silence like thunder, mocking, and contemptuous. His Persian stretched to its feet.

"Bravo, bravo," he drawled. "Good show. You remain as ruthless as I left you."

Mewtwo snarled, quaking in rage. "How did you find me?"

Giovanni gave a scornful scoff. "You did not exactly hide your tracks when you met up with that Gardevoir."

Mewtwo stiffened.

"After all, Team Aqua were not pleased to have an unaccounted for psychic type rampage and destroy their plans for Rustboro City." Giovanni's sly lips slanted up in a coy smile. "After all, once that Gardevoir got the merest scratch on her, you lost it nearly as bad as you have done to my base."

Mewtwo twitched, the fur of his tail frizzing up with barely concealed anger and terror both. He knew about Leila. His powerful tail flicked restlessly as his eyes watched Giovanni and his instincts followed the Persian.

"As for how I found you, it was more, HOW did I know to find you." Giovanni gave a chuckle, reclined back comfortably in his swivel chair as he laced his hands. "After all, you did somehow erase my memory of our time on Mt. Quena, but you failed to destroy evidence that remains logged into the computer systems." Mewtwo recoiled in shock—no, he hadn't thought to destroy the human mechanisms.

Giovanni's mouth smirked. "A simple, pokemon's mistake. Perhaps a higher intelligence level would have served you better, but you ARE created for nothing but to serve me." Mewtwo's lips pulled back in a diabolical snarl, and he felt himself crouching for the attack.

Giovanni's cool confidence didn't waver as he drilled the stake home. "After all, why do you think you returned to me? The Gardevoir you love cast you out like wretched trash, and now you come back to me because you have nowhere else to go. You need me to LIVE."

Shrieking, Mewtwo tried to catch him in a Psychic, but something in the room negated his attack. The culprit showed itself merely a second later, appearing from Giovanni's shadow—

A Darkrai.

Mewtwo feinted away when the Persian attacked with a deadly Night Slash, but there was a mechanism in the room putting pressure on his Psychic type abilities. With an angry snarl, his Psychic felt like it drained more of his energy than normal as he flung the cat away. Dodging a Dark Void, Mewtwo struck the Darkrai back with a Shadow Ball.

"How cunning of you," Mewtwo said with half-hearted amusement to the man that still sat comfortably behind his desk. "What ingenious tool have you created to enslave me this time? You know my resolve will never bend to you!"

Falling into a deadly pattern of battle, Mewtwo fell back on physical moves he barely used, hitting and striking the pokemon. A powerful Aura Sphere struck both cat and legendary, and the Persian and Darkrai flew back with grunts of pain. They smashed into the walls and sprawled across the ground.

Yowling in triumph, Mewtwo leapt forward and landed on Giovanni's desk. The shadowy tyrant's lips thinned with tension, and Mewtwo raised his claw for the kill.

His mind registered two important things at once—a Dark Pulse, and what was draining his psychic powers.

The Dark Pulse struck hard before he had a chance to rip off Giovanni's face. Crashing into a filing cabinet, the metal bent and crunched beneath his weight. Toppling forward with a gasp for how intense the hit was, he felt claws infused with the dark type slash across his exposed back. Mewtwo arched and screamed, pain and blood erupting from the wound.

Reaching behind him, Mewtwo grabbed the offending Persian and leapt through the ceiling, using the cat as a barrier between the breaking roof until they were high in the air. With a vicious snarl, Mewtwo drove towards the ground at blinding speed and threw the cat into the flooring. A weak "meow" greeted him from the power behind his Seismic Toss.

Not pausing for a breath, Mewtwo lunged towards the Darkrai with a Brick Break, but the pokemon slinked into the shadows before coming up out of Mewtwo's own shadow. It's Shadow Claw rose up, and out of habit, Mewtwo tried to blast it away with a Psychic to find it useless. Mewtwo instead swiftly engulfed it with a Thunder, sending the Darkrai backing up with a deep growl.

A hideous, painful Screech ripped across Mewtwo's highly trained ears. Shrieking in agony, Mewtwo fell to a knee, staring through the manipulated waves to see the Persian. Forcing his hands up through the piercing discord, Mewtwo threw a Shadow Ball at the offending pokemon. It dodged with a well placed Double Team, but mercifully, the Screech stopped.

Another Dark Pulse shot his way and slammed into his weakened back. Hissing, Mewtwo used a Barrier to ward off a Dark Void and flung a Shadow Ball at the Darkrai and used a Thunder Wave to paralyze the Persian. The copies disappeared, and Mewtwo's enrage eyes honed in on Giovanni.

It was his desk. The entire thing was somehow infused with dark type energies and the very incarnation of it _emanated_ from it. It drained him, sucked away his strength like a leech. Mewtwo hissed again, fur standing on end.

Utilizing a Protect, Mewtwo darted towards Giovanni. A Dark Void and Power Gem slammed into the unbreakable shield, and Mewtwo came before Giovanni with a mighty Brick Break. Giovanni audibly gritted his teeth, wildly pushing back from the desk just before Mewtwo lambasted the thing.

The first strike smashed it in half. The second crushed one half before he swung both arms and tossed the wretched thing towards the Persian. Combating a Nasty Plot and much more powerful Dark Pulse with an equally powerful Aura Sphere, Mewtwo slammed his fists into the Darkrai with a Brick Break. He then turned back to the offending desk to promptly destroy it when the flooring opened up beneath him. A cage snapped around him before he could react—but a Reflect stopped the cage short of closing.

Mewtwo's enraged mind slowed a moment before he swindled out with the help of the mysterious Reflect. Another Dark Pulse crashed down on him before he could look for who could possibly be helping him, but that question was answered in the next second.

"Mewtwo!"

Mewtwo jerked back with horrified eyes when he saw Leila coming into the room. She ran, flinching at the Persian's Night Slash, and using a Protect to protect herself. A Dark Void was sent, intending to hit her, but she used a Light Screen and warded it off though she gasped and staggered from the force it hit. When the Darkrai started to use a Dark Pulse again, a Disable popped in his face and the attack fizzled out.

"Leila!" he shouted at her, terror building inside. He used an Aura Sphere to halt the Darkrai that had started to move forward. "Get out of here!"

She didn't answer to him this time, but merely rushed to him and clutched one of his arms close to her. He saw her stare intently at Giovanni before he felt a tug deep inside, like his psychic powers were being siphoned out and into something else, and then, she Teleported them both.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:**

**LISTEN to this while you read this, just remove the spaces:**

** www. youtube watch?v=SlCIjOBeoCQ**

**(also, the movie they talk about in the comments, Twelve and Holding? Excellent movie, Jeremy Renner was hot and so amazing in his role. I cried)**

* * *

><p>The instant Mewtwo felt his feet touch the ground again, he jerked away from her.<p>

"Mewtwo, wait—"

"Stay back!" he gasped, flinching away from her. Leila stopped at his apparent fear, and he stumbled back into a pool of water. He jumped, skitterish as his alarmed eyes flicked around the small forest clearing and the small spring. His tail whipped restlessly.

When he heard Leila sigh softly, his eyes jumped back to her. He watched her press her hands to her lips, take a deep breath, and get down on her knees.

"It's all right, Mewtwo," she said softly, reaching out to him to coax him closer. "You're safe now."

Adrenaline still pumped through his system, prompting him to snarl more ferociously than necessary, "I will NEVER be safe until I end his evils!" Her flinch was miniscule, nearly nonexistent, but Mewtwo still saw it. Carangid at his actions, Mewtwo snarled to himself in agitation and turned away from her, glaring down at the surface of the still water. He froze.

His reflection . . . he felt a painful breath catch in his chest. He looked like a wraith from hell, and it was a wonder that Leila could even stand the sight of him. Blood stained his fur so much that it dyed it red all over, spattered irregularly up his arms and legs, coating his shoulders like a heathenish shroud he couldn't escape. His eyes danced with traces of the insanity that had tipped his mind, and finally, finally, he let go of his psychic powers, eyes fading from electric blue to their natural purple. Still, it wasn't enough to make himself recognizable. He . . . He . . .

He didn't know himself.

"Mewtwo?"

He jerked back to the present, staggering another step back so he was ankle deep in the water and the water sloshed over his shins. She was watching him with wary curiosity, tenderness lulled beneath concern.

His throat was too tight. Mewtwo tried to swallow, to lick his mouth and moisten dry lips cracked from the head of the fires. "L-Leila," he rasped as she slowly came closer, "p-please . . . stay back. I—I'm not fit . . . to . . . I'm dangerous."

"You keep telling me that and you've never hurt me," she said softly, taking another step closer.

Mewtwo felt himself begin to tremble, and he tried to fight it, gripping his hands into fists. He felt human skin and warm blood between his three abnormal fingers, and he shuddered on the inside. He struggled for his words, trying to say, "You haven't—I, I haven't been this close to . . . this close to—to the edge. Borderline on—coming so close to . . ." He took a tense breath, the air sucking between his gritted teeth. The words tangled in his throat in a mess of incomprehensible false starts and misleads, too strangled by emotion to make themselves clear. He fisted his hands by his sides to suppress whatever violent urges that may come from repercussions. "Leila," he hissed, "_please_ leave before I manage to hurt you too."

She stepped into the water with him. "Shh," she crooned softly, open hand still outstretched to him. "It's all right. You won't hurt me. I promise you."

Bitter resentment flashed in his eyes. "You can't promise for me!" he snarled before holding perfectly still. Leila yet still took a step closer, ignoring his caution.

"I trust you," she said simply, reaching to him. "That's the only promise I need."

He still wavered when her hand hovered above him. "L-Leila," he hissed tightly, "p-please . . . Don't . . ."

She lifted her hand, and even though he was watching and knew when she would touch him, the contact to his cheek still made him wince back like he had been burned. Her fingers stroked his cheek tenderly.

"Shh," she soothed him. "See? It's all right. Calm down, Mewtwo. It's just us. We're okay . . ."

Mewtwo's throat worked hard when her pink eyes were steady on his, unwavering in their trust. He turned his face away in shame.

"We're okay," she whispered softly. Her touch, gentler than butterfly wings, strayed from his cheek. "Let's clean you off. I bet you'll be more comfortable."

When her hand reached up to his shoulder, Mewtwo felt his hand snap around her wrist. "Please, don't, you'll—"

Mewtwo choked off short, looking at his bloodied hand grasping her slim wrist. Slowly, horrified, Mewtwo let her go, seeing the bloody imprint of his hand left on her skin.

Sensing his revulsion, Leila bent first to clean her own wrist. Then, wordless, she began to flick the leftover chunks of flesh from his blood-stained body.

Mewtwo felt her soothing fingers trail over his arms, loosening his taunt muscles. She scooped up handfuls of water, pouring them over him as she slowly cleaned him, tender hands slowly cleansing his body. Her soft fingers worked through his fine fur, washing the gore from him. Little rivers of red ran around their legs.

Mewtwo regulated his breathing, trying to get it to match Leila's peaceful rhythm. It was difficult to slow his heart because he realized he had been so close, SO CLOSE, to ridding himself of the one man who shackled him down to his past . . . Mewtwo took another shuddering breath, struggling to still his embroiled emotions.

Leila took one of his hands and pulled them deeper into the water so that they were thigh deep. Washing the blood from his hand, she asked softly, "That man . . . he was Giovanni, wasn't he?"

His lips trembled. "Yes," he rasped just as quietly.

Her thumbs stroked across his palm, wet blood sliding easily from him. "So may I safely assume that . . . those people . . . were of Team Rocket?"

Mewtwo hissed in pain, but it had nothing to do with her selfless offer to clean him. "Yes."

She was quiet for some time, and Mewtwo watched her, eyes drinking in her beauty like an angel to save him from himself. He swallowed as she moved on to the next abnormal hand.

"Why did you come back?"

Her hands tightened on his for a moment before she poured more water over his. Leila didn't speak for several moments, as if not trusting herself to speak. Finally, she said quietly, "I . . . It was a combination of things. I still wanted to travel. I still wanted to see . . . what was out there, but . . . I felt . . . disturbed. Something was wrong, and all I could feel was that it was you that was in trouble, so I had to find you again."

As she finished his hands, Leila took another handful of water and poured it down his chest. Mewtwo saw her hands tremble before they touched him again, tenderly washing the blood from his body. She breathed in deeply before whispering, "I . . . And I-I . . ." Her fingers tightened. "I wanted to see you again."

She kept her face carefully turned down as she flushed, once again to hide it, but Mewtwo took her chin. "No," he rasped, turning her face up to him. "Let me see you when you _blush_."

She kept her eyes down for the most part as he took in the rosy hue of her cheeks. The color slowly deepened, and he said almost inaudibly to her, "There is no shame in this . . ."

Leila sucked in an unsteady breath, but her eyes didn't waver when they looked up at him. "Mewtwo . . ."

His hands were moving of their own accord to cup her cheeks, and he leaned down until the tantalizing temptation was just a hairs breadth away. "Please, Leila," he implored her softly. "Allow me this kiss . . ."

He heard her breath hitch and her whisper of, "You have it . . ."

Trembling with nervous anticipation, Mewtwo gently brushed his lips across hers, slowly, tenderly. Leila melted in his arms until it was only his arms holding her up. Pressing his mouth to hers, with a soft sound, Mewtwo pulled her closer, long tail wrapping around her. He was . . . kissing her. It was surreal joy, and just to make sure he still could, he breathed in.

There was movement, and he felt her hands slid up and around him. His eyes closed, heart skipping as he reveled in her familiar presence that was always so soothing to him, as if kissing the peace and hope he so desired. He tried for another breath, and instead felt a soft skim upon his lips, prompting him to a deep, quiet moan. A tingle ran down his back when he felt her fingers feather up his spine until they brushed over the tube on the back of his neck. Mewtwo stiffened and gasped from sheer shock, the gesture almost painful.

"Please, don't," he rasped, hands unconsciously tightening on her. When her pink eyes looked at him with questions, he shook his head, pressing his face into her. "It . . ." He took a shaky breath, sliding his cheek against hers. "It is still . . . very sensitive . . . after . . ."

She didn't question it, but merely trailed her fingers back down, tracing trails through the crusting blood still staining his back. Using a meager dose of psychic energy, she sent a small amount of water coursing down his back, cleansing the blood from him even as she held him close.

Mewtwo's hands dropped to her hips, and he bowed his head as he held her in his tender embrace. He breathed deeply through his nose, trying to come to grips with how . . . _benevolent_ she was. How could it be, that the most despised, most murderous pokemon could manage to pluck an angel from the sky? An angel that WANTED him, no less. She deserved so, so much better . . . and that was something he could not give her. So how could she be content with his imperfections?

He leaned against her, struggling to come to grips with himself. Love, Giovanni had said. Was it truly? Or did she just pity him? Love . . . He had to be deluding himself. If Giovanni of all people mocked him with that, it couldn't be true. Giovanni was a man made of lies. Was Mewtwo so desperate that he had tricked himself into believing in something that didn't exist? Love . . . and life. Lying to himself about love, and then relying on Giovanni to dictate his actions.

_You need me to LIVE_.

It was sickening mockery. All of it. Mewtwo needed no one. It had been that way from the start. He had broken out of his capsule; destroyed the scientists that had wanted to treat him as a disgusting experiment; freed himself of Giovanni's slavery; created wicked storms and made his own clones; saved his clones from Giovanni's treachery; refused to become Giovanni's puppet again even if it had meant killing himself.

All these things, he had done alone, without others. He had never needed them, and never would. He was powerful enough to stand on his own. Even on the nights where he could contemplate suicide, the lonely nights where he lost all hope and felt desolation crashing down—he could survive those on his own as well. Be it he found a secluded area and rampaged until he vented the negative emotion right out of his system or he merely laid on his back and just waited for the sorrow to pass . . . He could always bear it alone.

"Mewtwo," Leila whispered suddenly, "your hands . . ."

He loosened his grip on her immediately, and she relaxed again now that his vice-like grip was not crushing her slim hips. The stream of water had stopped now, but Leila's fingers still played over the contours of his back, burning a memory of tenderness into him.

One of her hands cupped his face, lifting his head until she could look him in the eye with worry. Her brows pinched slightly. "Mewtwo . . . ? What's wrong?"

Looking into those luminous pink eyes, Mewtwo felt his throat bob. Indeed, he stood alone . . . but . . . for some reason . . . he felt that you didn't always have to be alone. There was a difference between a need, and a want. He needed oxygen to live, food for sustenance . . . things he would take for granted every day, because he mechanically had them every day. Something he wanted . . .

He trailed his round finger up her spine, causing her to shiver delicately. Something he wanted was something he yearned over with every ounce of his soul. Something he wanted was something he would do anything for. Something he wanted was something to pine over, something he craved so much that it could keep him awake at night. Something he wanted was something to covet with jealousy and protect with fierce determination. Something he wanted was something he yearned for until it was an agonizing ache. Something he wanted . . .

Was Leila.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:**

**What? Leila! :O I didn't expect you to say that!**

**"You fall to your knees**

**You beg, you plead**

**Can I be somebody else?**

**For all the times I hate myself**

**Your failures devour**

**Your heart in every hour**

**You're drowning in your imperfection!"**

**_Imperfection_-Skillet  
><strong>

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><p>Holding Mewtwo close in the water, Leila swallowed a bit uncomfortably. Not uncomfortable because of him—oh, no, he was so wonderful it made her light headed. It was just . . . after he had relaxed so much and kissed her so sweet . . . she almost didn't want to ask.<p>

She traced his back carefully, watching how her fingers skipped over the slash marks from Giovanni's Persian. Initially, the damage had seemed dire from how much blood Mewtwo had been losing, but they ended up being superficial, easily closed with a Heal Pulse.

"Mewtwo . . . ?"

"Hm?"

His nose trailed up her jaw, sending another helpless shiver through her. "I . . ." Steeling herself on the inside for however he may react, Leila asked softly, "May I please know who you are?"

He stiffened immediately in her arms. He pulled back, and purple eyes searched hers, shadowed with lingering fear.

Concerned, Leila brushed her hand over his pinching brows. If one thing, fear she could not bear seeing in his eyes. It . . . was not him. He was strong, fearless, and had the will of a thousand pokemon . . . He was not one to fear.

"I have seen Giovanni," she whispered softly, taking his hands in hers. "That—He is the man who has plagued your past so heavily, and I—I wish to know why, Mewtwo. Please . . . Do you trust me enough now?"

A passionate hand seized her face. "I trust you."

Leila pressed her lips together, taking a deep breath. "Then will you tell me?" she asked, tipping her head to look up at him.

Conflict raged in his eyes. She felt his strange hand tighten on hers, and finally, though a muscle in his jaw ticked, rasped, "I will tell you. But I . . . I struggle to find a proper way to start."

Nodding, Leila gently guided him out of the water and to a rock that jutted up. Sitting down, she patted the rock. "Sit," she urged him.

To her astonishment, however, Mewtwo merely fell to his knees, pressing his face into one of her hands. Her breath hitched when he placed a kiss on the back of her hand, breathing in deeply her scent. "Leila . . ." The words were tight, forcibly pulled from his mouth. "You will hate me."

"I will never hate you," she said quickly, rubbing near one of his ears. "Don't start like that. Just start from . . . the beginning."

After a moment, he sat with his back against the rock, one of his hands nearly crushing hers he held her so tightly. "Then . . . when I begin . . . please, do not say anything until I am finished."

"I promise," she said immediately, rubbing soothingly behind his ear.

His nostrils flared as he breathed out heavily. "Leila . . ." His lips grazed the back of her hand. "How could you not see it?" he whispered in shame. "Not hear it . . . Leila, I am Mewtwo. Listen! I am MewTWO," he stressed. He rested a tired head against her leg. "The second Mew. A mere . . . copy."

Leila frowned down on his head, and he pressed his face into her thigh. "Leila . . . I am unlike other pokemon. I am . . . a clone. Not of this world by natural birth, and I should not live at all. My life was given to me by things out of a tube . . ." He took a tight breath, and she felt him play with the hem of her skirt. "Giovanni invested money into my creation, and scientists were able to create me with the remnants of a fossilized Mew. Of the capsule I grew in . . . I do not remember much of anything except . . . pain. So, so much pain . . . It was the gene splicing they used when they created me as a killing machine, a pokemon bred to be nothing but a destroyer. When I awoke . . . Leila, by the things I heard, the things they told me, I was nothing but an experiment. I am not special in any way—I am merely the product of science, a mere copy of hundreds of copies before. It was almost a fluke that I lived and the rest died."

Sensing his agitation, Leila stroked behind his ear, and against her will, kept silent and kept her promise to him not to speak until the end. "And Leila . . . Knowing I was nothing but a ghastly EXPERIMENT . . . I . . . I killed them. I killed them all." Mewtwo's hand clenched tight on her leg, and he took a steadying breath. "It was then I met Giovanni. He tricked me into believing that he had created us as equals, and he trained me to control my psychic powers. Eventually, he revealed his contempt of my delusions that we were equals . . . he viewed me as nothing but his slave."

Mewtwo tensed, anger rolling in waves from his hard shoulders. "I was not born a pokemon, I was created, and my creators betrayed me. I was alone, and I could rely on no one but myself."

Struggling to retain her silence, Leila rested her hand on his shoulder in silent support. She gave his hand a squeeze, but it was almost as if he didn't register the comfort she tried to lend.

"From this point," he whispered, "I fled him, razing his laboratory to mere ruins. After that, I . . . created my own laboratory. I took such a vindictive turn, Leila. I baited pokemon trainers to my island fortress to create more clones, a powerful new breed of pokemon so that I could wreak vengeance on all humans for the sufferings I endured all my life." His ears twitched, and Leila saw the hair on his tail frizzing up in agitation. Stroking his cheek, she felt his jaw resting against her leg clench. He let out a hard breath.

"I apprehended their pokemon, cloned them as I had been cloned, and then, I saw her—Mew. Somehow, she had found that forsaken place, and from that moment, a great battle ensued. I pitted my clones against the pokemon born of this world to determine who would rule. The conflict was savage, bloody . . . and when Mew and I summed all our power for one final engagement, a trainer cried out for the fighting to cease.

"His selfless actions baffled me, because I could not understand a human who valued all pokemon, born or created." Mewtwo took a deep breath, and he pressed his face into her thigh. Leila swallowed around a lump when she felt his lips press intimately against her. "As he asked," Mewtwo whispered quietly, "the battling halted. He had opened my eyes . . . and my heart."

Mewtwo shook his head, laying his cheek against her thigh again. "I took my clones and departed to find a place where we could live in peace. Using my psychic powers, I wiped out the memory of that ghastly place of everyone who had experienced it. I was forgotten by all . . . except for the man whose desire to control me still festered in his heart."

Leila's heart skipped a beat. _Giovanni._

"We lived in peace for some time in solitude at the top of Mt. Quean, but it was only a matter of time before Giovanni began the hunt in earnest. Initially, Giovanni used dark pokeballs to capture my clones, but I was able to free them. Still . . . for such power I have, there is a limit to sheer numbers. Concern for my clones overcame everything else when Giovanni's men apprehended the peaceful island and threatened to turn all of my creations into experiments."

Leila felt her heart swell with compassion when she felt a nearly nonexistent tremble shake him. "I could not bear the thought," he whispered, and his arms slipped to hold her leg, pressing his face against her thigh again. "I refused to allow my clones to endure the trauma of experimentation, and so I allowed Giovanni to capture me . . . but I swore I would never submit to his treacherous ways. And . . . I did not. I would have sooner been consumed by his machines than I would have become his slave again."

A proud lump clotted in Leila's throat. Leaning down, she hugged him as well as she awkwardly could, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. One of his ears twitched.

"However," Mewtwo finished, "you remember the pokemon trainer that impacted my life so long before? He tried to help free me from the machines without any success, but he tried for me, even unknowing of whom or what I was. I was forced to use the last of my strength to overcome the machines Giovanni had set upon me, but . . . in destroying them, I had destroyed myself. So weak at that point, I was on the brink of death."

Leila felt her fingers grip his shoulder, and she grabbed his hand. Still, he continued softly, "That trainer carried me, a mere boy, to the springs inside of the island of Mt. Quean. They are mystic, healing waters, and he threw me into the spring in hopes that it would be enough to heal me." Mewtwo paused, eyes temporarily searching the sky for an answer he did not have.

"That spring . . . New life rose within me, strength untold, and I experienced a . . . an epiphany, if you will. Those spring waters healed me just like they would any other pokemon born of this world, and so I finally came to grips that even though I was not born of this world, I still belonged, somehow, someway . . ."

Mewtwo shook his head, leaning tiredly against Leila's leg in the night. "Filled with newfound strength, I transported the entire island beneath the mountain. With wisdom gained from my young friend, I wiped only the minds of Team Rocket of my existence. My clones now roam the world as any other free pokemon, and I . . . without them, I had lost my purpose. I roamed, helping where I could, but for the most part, forgotten . . . invisible . . . until I met you." His voice was raw with emotion as he finally finished, "THAT is my story of life without living."

Leila stayed quiet a moment, processing everything she had heard from his violent beginnings to his desolate endings . . . and finally, she chose to say, "I do not hate you."

He wrenched away from her like she had turned into the devil himself, snarling, "How can you say that? Look at me!" He jerked to his feet, purple eyes blazing with a threatening sheer of blue overtaking them. "I'm a clone!" he shouted, quaking in rage and pain. "A freak! I am deformed and a monstrosity with the curse for nothing but destruction to everything I touch!"

Leila took a steadying breath as she met his enraged eyes. "You haven't destroyed me," she said softly.

Her frank gentleness seemed to surprise him. The blue hue in his purple eyes faded, and he stared in shock at her. "You can't mean that," he whispered hoarsely.

She gave him a patient look, lips curling up into a smile at his naiveté. "And why can I not mean what I say?" she asked him, reaching her hand out to him again. "Why do you have this preconceived thought in your mind that I cannot accept you for you who are?"

He trembled a moment as he looked at her, and then, she saw something break inside his eyes. He pitched to his knees again, bypassing her hand to clutch at her skirts. He lifted them tenderly, pressing into them to hide his face. "Your kindness is great," he rasped.

The tightness of his voice made Leila realize that he still struggled to believe her when she spoke, so she let her hands massage his temples as he knelt at her feet. "Mewtwo," she said gently, "I do not see why you . . . condemn yourself so much for what has happened to you. Everything that happened was of an outside force that tried to use you. Do you know why they wanted to use you?"

"Because I am a killing machine," he answered instantly, voice laden with guilt.

"Because you are SPECIAL," she corrected, flicking one of his ears in a gentle tease. He twitched. "They could not behold how powerful and beautiful you were, and so they wished to use you because they were not as great as you were."

One of Mewtwo's hands snapped to the rock as he gripped it tightly, hissing, "Leila . . . I KILLED all of those scientists . . . ones merely hired to create me, those of innocence and of no threat to me."

She sighed, stroking her thumbs over his forehead, as if she could smooth the lines away. "Mewtwo, everyone has things they are ashamed of, but you cannot dwell on them in regret. Instead, you must learn from them."

"And what am I to learn from that?" Mewtwo replied bitterly, back muscles bunching as his shoulders hunched. "That my creator has bested me? That I have allowed him to create me for nothing but destruction?"

"That you should learn to control your temper," Leila said gently, tracing her fingers over his cheeks. "That you should learn not to hate yourself for the crimes of others. That somewhere, deep inside, you know none of this was your fault." He twitched again, and he pressed his face back into her skirt. The sight of him so pitiful tore at Leila's heartstrings.

"And . . ." Leila paused, unsure of how to continue when she knew her next words would do nothing but infuriate Mewtwo. "Despite all the misgivings I hear about Giovanni . . . I cannot truly find it in myself to hate him."

Mewtwo stiffened instantly. "What?" he hissed tightly.

Reaching her hand down, Leila pressed it against his protruding sternum. She closed her eyes, feeling the steady thump buried beneath. "Mewtwo," she whispered, "do you feel that? I do. It's your heartbeat. And, like it or not, Giovanni was the one that ensured it is there. Through his vast sources, he was able to give you life . . . and though I hate myself for it, I am beholden to him for giving you that life."

"What are you saying?" Mewtwo growled, glaring up at her. "You act like I owe him."

"You do," she said gently. His purple eyes flared. She took both of his shoulders, gazing fearlessly into those eyes, still and always trusting that he would not hurt her. "Though he does not deserve it," she whispered quietly, "Giovanni gifted you with life. I have been . . . frightened by your lust to kill him, and I do not believe that killing is the answer. Instead, grace him with a kindness that he has never shown to you . . . _mercy._"

"You ask me to spare his life?" Mewtwo exploded, jerking to his feet. His hands clenched with horrified disbelief, and muffled fury bubbled to the surface. "After all he has done to me, and you want me to just . . . let his villainy LIVE!"

Leila swallowed, tensing her insides to the seething venom Mewtwo spat at her. "Nothing humiliates the enemy worse than heaping burning coals upon their head," Leila spoke quietly, keeping her eyes steady on his. "To hold his life in your hand would make Giovanni livid, but to hold it and _give it back_ would be his undoing. That is a grace that would haunt his dreams because he would know that you are the better life because you were greater than yourself."

Mewtwo said nothing to that, jaw ticking with suppressed anger, and Leila bowed her head. "Yes, Mewtwo," she said softly to him. "You do owe him a life debt . . . but to uphold it and give him his life just once would be to break him and heal yourself."

When he still stood uncertainly, conflicting emotions raging within, Leila added tentatively, "I ask this of you, but it is not a promise. You are always free to your own will, and if you choose to either spare him or kill him, it is your own decision. It is a thing between you and Giovanni. I am merely an outsider who has voiced her opinion." She looked up, heart panging at the shadows around his eyes. She reached out her hand again. "Please, come back to me."

After a long moment, Mewtwo finally let down his walls again and came back, but not to sit by her. He sat at her feet again, resting his head in her lap, staring out over the water. Silence ruled them for some time, Leila afraid to say more and Mewtwo, for bigger reasons that she could not fathom.

"Leila," he finally whispered in shame, "do you know how many times I have wished to become someone I am not? To just be another pokemon floating in the streams of water without any cares in the world? If I could leave behind my past . . ."

"Then let it go."

He stiffened again. "You say that like it is so easy," he growled. "I cannot let it go! Not while Giovanni still lives. I am cursed to live this existence with the memory of what I have done, what I am."

Leila sighed again, flicking an ear. "Mewtwo," she started, eyes lingering on his form bathed in moonlight. His silvery purple fur gleamed beneath the shine of the moon, and she felt her throat hitch. "You see your imperfections as a curse, but they are something that reside in every one of us. And I . . . I see your imperfections as beauty."

He gave the bark of a disbelieving laugh, sorrow laced beneath his words. "I cannot understand you, Leila."

Leila bit her lip, looking down on his bowed form, fur glittering in the moonlight. "If you saw what I saw," she said quietly, "you would believe the same."

As she stroked the top of his head, she heard another pained laugh, as if it tore from somewhere deep within him. "How the weak have fallen," he whispered, and Leila felt wetness stain her skirts. "I must truly be wrought with depression to shed tears like this."

A lump formed in her throat. She feathered her fingers across his face, feeling the tiny streams trickle down his cheeks. "There is no shame in crying, Mewtwo," she told him softly. She bent down to place a tender kiss on his head.

He took a quivering breath. "Then please," he beseeched her, pressing his face against her thigh again, "forgive me, for I feel I shall drench your legs with a waterfall of lifetime's sorrow."


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:**

**Guess what? Leila received her first fan art! :D**

**ykeproblematenemos**

**.**

**deviantart**

**.**

**com**

**/art/THE-LIGHT-309221918**

**I was so surprised, and it was so flattering! ykeproblemantenemos is the one who drew it, you can find her on DeviantArt ;)**

**Also, just for kicks to know, for some reason I end up listening to "Eet" by Regina Spektor whenever I write this story ^^ Heh, I dunno. But actually, for the second half of this short chapter I listened to "Make Me Better" by Fabulous ft. Ne-Yo**

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><p>Mewtwo stirred, feeling a gentle hand resting on his head.<p>

Carefully turning his head and eyes just enough to see her, he found Leila dozing on the rock, her other arm pillowing her head. A slight smile slanted his lips up, and Mewtwo leaned back comfortably, resting his head in her lap again. Gazing heavenward, he squinted at the sun rising high into the sky. The thing was so bright, but the warmth was pleasing in comparison to the chill of night . . .

Mewtwo huffed quietly in irritation at it. "Sun, why is it you are so insufferably bright?" He closed his eyes fully against it, seeing the red blood illuminated by the sun through his eyelids. "I remember a time where I was once a nocturnal pokemon . . ." Still, he couldn't hold that against her. Content to be, Mewtwo felt a smile pull his mouth again. "However, I am oddly glad of that . . . Leila's disposition is as bright as you are." These smiles appeared much more often with Leila's presence. Mewtwo didn't know whether to be irritated or happy about this, but the latter was proving itself more often than not lately . . .

"I'm glad you're not being so moody now."

Mewtwo jumped involuntary, looking up at Leila whose cheeky little smile couldn't be held in check. "Leila! I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

She tweaked his ear in a light tease, saying, "Of course not. I was already awake, watching YOU sleep. I like seeing you sleep."

Her forthright admission startled him, and Mewtwo could only blink in rather clumsy confusion. "You, ah . . . What?"

Leila smiled softly, pink eyes glowing slightly. "You're . . . much more peaceful when you sleep." She reached out to touch his forehead, saying, "These lines disappear . . . Though there are many less this morning."

Mewtwo felt all the words wiped from him. What was he supposed to say to that? It was so generous of her to say . . . But, perhaps generous wasn't the right word. She wasn't saying it out of pity, she genuinely believed it. That in itself made Mewtwo even more speechless.

Leila giggled then, freely showing her smile to him now. "What's wrong, Mewtwo? Cat got your tongue?"

The double pun of her words made him stupidly stare more before he finally narrowed his eyes a little. "Leila, if I do believe my ears, you are teasing me."

She flicked his ear to prove it, a habit that had presented itself . . . actually, ever since he kissed her. "Maybe," she sassed him. "But you're just sitting there like a Slakoth and letting me do it."

Mewtwo's eyes widened, and it was only her biting her lip with the effort not to laugh that gave away her playful intent. Mewtwo narrowed his eyes again, growling, "Continue like that, and you are asking for it!"

She sat up suddenly, winking down at him in an uncharacteristically outgoing moment. "Asking for what?" she inquired saucily, pursing her lips at him. "Another kiss?"

Oh, now THAT particular scenario was especially tempting . . . Instead, Mewtwo growled again playfully, starting to prowl towards her. Her eyes widened and she backed away, to which Mewtwo joshed her with, "I might be inclined to think differently once you apologize, you shameless Gardevoir! How dare you mock me when this morning started so pleasant!"

Leila giggled impishly, backing away while holding up a hand. "Please, Mewtwo—Don't! Whatever you're thinking about—DON'T!"

Her protests ended on a girlish shriek as he tossed her into the water. Mewtwo laughed warmly when she was completely submerged, and he slunk up to the edge of the rock on all fours. He grinned wickedly when she resurfaced with a gasp.

_ "Mewtwo!"_

He laughed warmly at her indignation and allowed her to pull him into the water with her. Splashing in, instead of swimming back to the surface, he ducked beneath her and hoisted her on his shoulders. She squealed, hands grabbing his head for balance before he tossed her off and back into the water. Her head broke the surface with another gasp, and she shoved water at Mewtwo. Chuckling, Mewtwo splashed the water back at her, so glad to have her back—

His heart skipped a beat. She was . . . _back._ He took a mighty splash of water to the face, but he didn't care. Staring in wonder at Leila, it suddenly occurred to him that she CAME BACK!

Leila paused in their playing, big pink eyes staring in confusion at his sudden stop. "Mewtwo? What's wrong?"

He blinked in shock at her, her skirt billowing up in the water. "You . . . you came back." Leila blushed suddenly at his words, and he reached forward, grasping one of her tiny wrists. "Leila . . . You came back to me! But . . . I thought . . . Your mother . . ."

Leila took a deep breath. Shifting her hand, she took his, saying, "I . . . I know. But I . . . Mewtwo, I had to come back. You—You needed me. I mean—"

She shook her head uncertainly, trying to figure out what she was trying to say. Supportively, Mewtwo squeezed her hand, and her pink eyes shone with gratefulness. "I was worried," she murmured. "You were so . . . I can't find the word . . . _distraught_ when you left. I felt such anger and sadness and frustration . . . and pain, emanating from you. I don't even think you were aware you were projecting your emotions so openly."

Leila's eyes misted, and she held his hand tighter. "Mewtwo, I . . . I was so worried! I—I looked into the future, to see if I could see you mine . . ." She began to tremble, and her voice dropped to a scared whisper. "I . . . I couldn't see you. All I could see was darkness and—and red. So, so much red . . . so much _blood_. . ."

Mewtwo felt his jaw tense. She didn't see him, she saw the residue of what he left behind. It was _his_ fault she had witnessed such atrocities. He wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her, to soothe away her fears, but who was he to do that when it was himself that induced these fears?

She shivered again, looking down at the water. "That's why I left," she whispered. "I thought you were going to be hurt . . . o-or worse . . . And when I saw how you were . . . so . . ."

Mewtwo braced himself. So, what? He waited impatiently for her to spit it out, almost angry that she hesitated to say it. He knew what he was! Feral? Bloodthirsty? Insane?

Her frail body quaked a moment. "So . . . so _lost_ . . ."

The word hit like a splash of cold water on the flames of his anger. Just . . . lost? That was it? That's what she thought of him? Not terrifying, ruthless, savage—nothing? Just . . . lost?

Leila took a steadying breath, and she suddenly brought him into an embrace. Mewtwo tensed a moment before bringing his arms around her. She pressed her face into his collar, trembling gently. "I had to leave Mother again. I—I had to come find you . . . I've never been so scared . . . B-But I couldn't . . . I couldn't let you see that. I know you, Mewtwo. You would have hated yourself so much . . ." She stood on her tip toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, making careful sure her hands didn't brush his extremely sensitive second spinal cord. "So I hid it . . . I didn't let you see how afraid I was when I found you at the Team Rocket headquarters . . . I didn't let you see it when I saw all the blood . . . and how close you were to . . . to . . ."

Giving in to his own emotions, Mewtwo gave a low, guilty rumble. Tightening his hold on her, Mewtwo pressed his face onto the top of her head, rasping, "Leila . . . I'm sorry . . . I'm so sorry . . ."

Her breathing was halting, heavy, as if she were about to sob. She shook terribly, and Mewtwo felt his heart twist, eaten up within guilt—the source of her fear, and the source of the ease of that fear? Was it even possible? He stroked his abnormal fingers down the curve of her slim spine, trying to soothe her fright away. Making a small shushing sound, Mewtwo pressed his lips to the top of her head, trying to melt away the fear that still gripped her.

For more comfort, and for his affection to her, Mewtwo dipped his head to nuzzle her face gently. Small tears began to slide down her cheeks, and Mewtwo felt his heart lurch.

"Leila . . . Please, don't cry . . . please . . ."

She shook her head and simply pressed closer to him. "No," she said quietly, voice trembling with sadness. "Just . . . Let me cry. I need to—I want to. After what happened . . . and also for you . . ." Mewtwo felt a shaft of confused wonder as she whispered, "For being so alone . . . someone has to mourn for you . . ."

Her tears began to soak into his fur, and as his heart beat wildly, Mewtwo scooped Leila into his arms and out of the water. Floating up until he sat upon the rock they had vacated so short a time ago, he held her in his arms, gently rocking.

He felt his throat constrict. Her crying . . . it was so quiet, nearly silent. It probably pained him more than actually hearing it could, but he could only wait until she had finished. Frustration rose inside him. She shouldn't have to mourn him! They were his demons to fight, not hers! His anger towards her was short lived as it focused on himself again. Of course, this was his fault. He was the one that had told her of his past, he was the one she had caught savagely murdering people, and if he had just left her alone in the beginning like he had thought, none of this would have happened!

Instead, he found he couldn't let go even though it all had happened, and instead just embraced the frail Gardevoir in his arms, stroking her back comfortingly as she cried for . . . for _him._ He felt his heart cry out for her.

Slowly but surely, her soft crying ceased, and she quit trembling in his arms. Instead, she looked up, pink eyes glistening with a few tears still locked within her lashes. Her lips trembled a moment before she whispered, "Mewtwo . . . Would you, please, kiss me again?"

Suddenly, the world had no air. Nervousness seized Mewtwo because the first time it had been so natural, but now for her to _ask_ . . . he suddenly remembered exactly how inexperienced he was in that area. But, when she looked up with luminous pink eyes, lashes damp with tears, his unease was swept away.

Leaning down and kissing her gently, Mewtwo gasped softly into her, hands sliding down to her slim waist. Pulling her closer, his fingers dug into her hips at the feel of her supple lips tracing over his. Leila shivered, arms tightening around his neck.

Nothing could be more addictive to Mewtwo than Leila. Breathing faltering, Mewtwo feathered kisses over her face, moving up her jaw. She was the sun to his moon, the happiness to his misery, the light to his dark. Lightly nipping her bottom lip, she gasped softly in surprise, eyes popping open even as she arched, unsure of how to take his more aggressive kiss. She was his drug, a constant that overtook his thoughts, his dreams, and she was so _good . . ._ Mewtwo pressed his mouth to hers again, kissing her as if he could breathe in her purity to cleanse himself. A moan trapped inside his throat. _Toxic_ . . . yet she did not sap his strength, she gave it to him.

She whimpered slightly, fingers tightening on his neck. "M-Mewtwo . . . !"

A hand pressed to his sternum, gently pushing, and he took the hint. Regretfully pulling away from those intoxicating lips, Leila gasped in a weak breath, trembling almost violently with emotion. As he loosened his hold on her to a comfortable embrace, he suddenly realized that he had kissed her so breathless she was limp in his arms.

Mewtwo looked down on her, and she let her head fall forward to rest on his chest. Her lips were swollen from the kiss, and her cheeks were bright pink with a pleasing blush. He could feel her halting breath warm on his chest as she struggled to catch her breath, but the rapture on her face was the sheer beauty of the situation.

She sighed. Leila cuddled up close to him, murmuring, "Mewtwo . . . That was . . . _Mhh . . ._" Words failed her, and she simply sighed again, content to be.

A small, uncertain smile played around the edges of Mewtwo's lips. Stroking her hair, Mewtwo stared out over the water and where the sun glinted off it in sparkles. His stomach cramped a little, reminding him he hadn't had breakfast, and his body was still sore from yesterday's . . . mauling. He also had a slight headache that beckoned him to meditate and regain his strength, but he didn't move from holding Leila.

"Mewtwo."

Snapping out of a brooding reverie, Mewtwo looked down on Leila. Her brow was slightly puckered, and she touched his in return. "The lines are back," she said. "You're troubled. What's wrong?"

Mewtwo gave a frustrated sigh. "It's just . . . Leila, I know you've said it before—you trust me. That's your only reasoning. But, I—Leila, how can you stand to be around me!" He pulled away from her, gritting his teeth. "I—I tried to EXTERMINATE a race! Two! Of the pokemon and of humans, and you sit here as if I—as if that wasn't me and I'm completely innocent."

Leila gave a patient sigh, and he felt her tweak his ear again. He looked at her in surprise. "I didn't realize you were this insecure. Mewtwo, don't try to be . . . philosophical on me, and don't overanalyze it. I trust you because of what you've done for me—you've saved me many times over, I find a . . . very close friend in you, and I suspect that we've shared more with each other than we have with any other." She leaned forward, giving him a look. "So, stop being so insecure. Just accept that this is how I feel about you, and I think you'll like it better in the long run."

An irritated breath vented through Mewtwo's nostrils. Tail whipping anxiously, he muttered, "You make that sound so easy . . ."

"Then stop making it hard." Surprised at her frank words, he watched her give a dainty shrug. "Besides," she murmured, "the one who carried such a lust for revenge I think died in Mt. Quena's springs and was reborn into the pokemon I see today."

Mewtwo gave a soft chuckle at her words. "Reborn . . ." he said quietly back. A lip quirked up. "What an optimistic way to twist me."

She leaned forward with a mischievous light dancing in her eyes. "I do have a tendency to do that," she whispered, biting her lip in the effort not to giggle.

Mewtwo's next quip died on his tongue when he heard a voice.

"Leila, get away from him."

Leila's eyes popped, and guiltier than a child with her hand in the cookie jar, Leila scrambled from Mewtwo's lap so she was sitting next to him. Her little jaw dropped open slightly in shock as she looked at the other pokemon in the clearing.

"Mom?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:**

**MOTHEEEEEEEEEEEEER KNOOOOOOOOOOWS BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEST!**

**Lol! Sorry it took so long to get up, but I FINALLY like the chapter! :D And you know what was my song of inspiration:**

**http*:/*www.*youtube*.com*/watch?v=_1LFs9OjNhg**

**(just remove the asterisks, the little * star thingys)  
><strong>

**Trust me my dear *snap* That's how fast he'll leave ya. I won't say I TOLD YOU SO!**

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><p>Lady Tremaine's presence was the last thing Mewtwo had expected. Leila shared in his shock, and before anything more could be said, a Psychic took Leila from his side. She squeaked in surprise, staggering next to her mother as she searched for her center of balance.<p>

Mewtwo stood, carefully gauging her mother's fury. Leila gasped like a child, eyes wide. "M-Mother! How long have you been there?"

"Long enough," she said flatly, and Mewtwo felt one of his ears twitch at her unwavering glare. There was no telling how long she had been there. Mewtwo cursed his inner weakness—he hadn't been on the lookout for others. After what he had done to the Rocket headquarters, he should have taken the proper time to meditate and regain his strength, hone his awareness back to its peak.

"Leila, we're leaving."

Surprisingly, Leila drew enough strength from within to yank her hand away from her mother's in time to avoid being teleported away. "M-Mother, please, wait!"

"For what?" she said stiffly, glaring openly at Mewtwo. "There is nothing to discuss. We—"

"I believe there is."

Mewtwo could barely believe his own ears at what had just escaped his mouth, but the challenging brow that rose from Lady Tremaine was enough to almost physically slap him in the face. "Excuse me?"

Deciding to hell with it, he had already opened his mouth, he would defend what Leila truly wanted even if she was too obedient to do it herself. "Ma'am, despite what—"

"Our business is no affair of yours," Lady Tremaine said coolly, enough so that Mewtwo felt a spark of irritation drive him to a fleeting fantasy of wringing her conceited neck. Still, as brief as the imagination had been, it caused a pang of guilt through Mewtwo—like it or not, this WAS Leila's mother. The indulgence was pitched to the wind.

Instead, he stated levelly, using his deeper voice to his advantage, "Anything that happens to your daughter is now of most importance to me." Something flickered across her mother's face. "Your insistence to keep her separated from me is especially important, and I do not think that it stems merely from the fact that you despise all I am."

Lady Tremaine stiffened like she had been flayed, and Leila's jaw gaped most unladylike before she covered her mouth with a scandalous gasp. "M-Mewtwo—!"

"What are you saying?" Lady Tremaine's icy voice cut the sunny clearing like daggers.

Mewtwo rigidly kept his piercing eyes steady on her. "I'm afraid that knowledge is yet out of my reach," he said just as calmly. "Perhaps you should enlighten me." Leila's eyes were round as saucers at this confrontation, a hand pressed hard against her chest as if to stabilize her sputtering heart. When Lady Tremaine failed to respond, eyes narrowed as if judging him, Mewtwo gave an impatient flick of his tail. "Perhaps I have not made myself clear," he said, stony face as intimidating as it looked. "_Why_ are you so violently opposed to my being with Leila?"

Lady Tremaine didn't flinch, but rather, her voice cracked like a whip.

"She deserves better than an abnormal wretch."

Against his will, Mewtwo recoiled, the words burning like fire. He broke eye contact with her first, gritting his teeth and clenching his hands. Feeling his three freakish fingers pressing against his palms, it was a constant reminder that he wasn't born nor ever would be normal.

He hissed to himself in a silent war. No, he had gone over this with Leila already! His looks didn't matter, it was what was on the inside that counted . . .

The hairs on his powerful tail began to stand on end. Then by _Arceus_ why could no one else on this forsaken planet see it as simple as Leila could!

"Leila, we're done here. Let's—"

"No, Mother—I—"

"We are not done here," Mewtwo spoke up quickly, shoving it all away again. Lady Tremaine looked back at him in that haughty way of hers, arching a brow in barely contained amusement. Her hand was clamped firmly over Leila's wrist, ready to drag her off at a moment's notice.

Mewtwo didn't give her the chance. "Should I even ask where the much-loved father of this family is?"

All the blood leeched from Lady Tremaine's face. Leila was utterly speechless, wide eyes pleading for him to stop, but he wasn't about to let this Gardevoir push him or Leila around—Leila's mother or not.

"I don't see how that even relates to the situation at hand," Lady Tremaine said icily, a threat barely concealed in her muffled fury.

_Ah, I've hit her nerves._ Mewtwo didn't delay in his onslaught, but instead brought it around full force. "It relates because it pertains to you. After all, you seem to have some personal vendetta against me, and it cannot be from you knowing me—you know nothing of me. It has to stem from someone close."

Her eyes narrowed before she flashed those deadly daggers Leila's way. Leila quailed. "What did you tell him?" she hissed at her daughter.

"It doesn't matter what she told me," Mewtwo interfered quickly, crossing his arms. "_I_ am the problem here, not her. Do not flee from this subject, Lady Tremaine."

She whipped around, temper barely controlled. Her jaw worked tightly a moment. "I merely want what is best for my daughter," she stated evenly, psychical energies building inside her. "Do you honestly think YOU have the capabilities to give her the good life she deserves? You, something hunted by your adversaries, a blight unaccepted by anyone—"

"Your daughter accepts me readily enough," Mewtwo interrupted, not letting her see how each insult seeped into him like acid rain. "Though—"

"She is naïve," Lady Tremaine said immediately.

Leila's eyes widened in hurt. "M-Mother—!"

"Let's steer this conversation away from Leila and my apparent imperfections," Mewtwo cut in again. His head was pounding with a headache, another painful reminder that he needed to meditate and regain his strength. Not to mention his stomach cramping in hunger, but he discarded it all for later. Right now, his sights were focused on his prey.

"Her father," Mewtwo said nonchalantly, "seems to have disappeared. From what I can gather of your reactions, you must believe he abandoned you both for, what was it, battling? Correct me if I am mistaken."

Finally, her face began to ruddy up. "You know nothing," she seethed. "This has nothing to do with my keeping Leila away from you!"

"Then why is there such an edge to your voice?" Mewtwo said evenly. He arched a brow, stepping closer until he could frown down at Lady Tremaine. Despite the daunting size difference, Lady Tremaine's pink eyes didn't capitulate to him. "If the emotional vibes I gather from you are correct," Mewtwo persisted, drilling the final stake in, "you are either jealous of the feelings we share, viciously determined to keep Leila from ANY male, or perhaps a little of both."

An astonished look overcame Lady Tremaine's face before it steeled back up again, eyes glinting like fires from hell. "I am merely protecting her from my own mistakes!" she snapped. "A grotesque mutant like yourself is no one I would willing allow my daughter to defile herself with." A seemingly unheard cry was caught in said Gardevoir's mouth, tears sparking in her eyes. Mewtwo tried not to flinch at the disparaging words, but they soured in his mouth. "With danger trailing your scum around, I will not willingly place my daughter in harm's way. You're deformed, bloodthirsty—" With a sudden hiss, Mewtwo took two strides to the side as if to avoid the blows of her words, but it did nothing to help. "Malefic, and unfit to—"

When her words stopped suddenly and Leila shrieked, "Mom!" Mewtwo had just enough time to whip around and see Lady Tremaine smack face first to the ground.

_What?_

Leila pitched to her knees, worried tears spilling down her face. Mewtwo knelt, peering over the suddenly collapsed pokemon suspiciously. He frowned when he found the culprit of the problem—a tiny dart embedded in her neck.

Plucking it out, Mewtwo's blood chilled when he saw the red "R" emblazoned on it.

His head jerked up to Leila who had no clue. "Leila, watch out!"

He grabbed her without much thought, but the instant he got his hand on her she slumped. Teleporting quickly away, miles away in fact, Mewtwo clutched the frail Gardevoir in his arms, trembling with worry. He tried to find the dart that had hit her, but found only a small prick on her neck. Evidence that it had been there, but _where was the dart?_

Mewtwo felt his eyes widen as he looked around for the dart he had been holding. Where did THAT dart go! Instead, feeling Leila stirring in his arms, Mewtwo turned his attention to her. Despite how his head throbbed, he still reached out for any means of danger and found none close to them.

He shook her gently. "Leila? Leila, wake up." She whimpered slightly, a pathetic sound that tore at Mewtwo's heartstrings. "Leila, wake up for me. Wake up."

She shifted uncomfortably, head lolling. "M-Mewtwo . . ." She groaned slightly, uncomprehending. "Wha . . . happened . . . ?"

He shook his head as she blinked, trying to focus. A shaft of fear hit him. Arceus, had they poisoned her? "I don't know," he whispered thick with worry. "They were shooting us with darts—Team Rocket. I—I just can't believe how quickly they had an effect on us . . . I didn't even—"

His blood chilled again. _He didn't even feel it coming._

"I couldn't feel them coming," he whispered, hands tightening on Leila. The darts weren't with them even when he had teleported—

The answer blasted its way into existence. His eyes widened in horror. "Leila, Leila, they infused those darts with the dark type! Just like they did with his desk—" His heart rate picked up in panic again—that stuff could be going through her bloodstream! Would it strip her of her psychic powers? Mewtwo quickly touched her aura and psychical powers with his own, but felt no blemishes. Clearly, the darts were meant only to incapacitate, not steal away their psychic powers.

_But why did they not attack me first? Why Lady Tremaine?_

As if an echo to his thoughts, Leila suddenly snapped awake, terror overtaking her features. "Mewtwo, my mother! Where is she?"

Mewtwo jolted. Dear ARCEUS he needed to focus! So many little things were slipping past him . . . "Stay here!" he ordered her, sitting her gently against one of the forest trees. "Let me investigate."

"But—"

"Leila, no!" he interrupted, pressing his hand to her chest to keep her down. A hand pressed against his forehead before he looked at her seriously. "Leila, I know you want to help, but not this time. This time it is not merely reconnaissance—Team Rocket has probably swarmed the place already, and if I am to spirit away your mother, I cannot have my mind divided by needing to protect you. Stay here. Promise me?"

Her look was torn. Leila bit her lip, but nodded faintly. Pressing an affectionate kiss to her forehead in thanks, Mewtwo whispered, "I'll be right back."

Debating carefully in the space of seconds, he knew he couldn't teleport into the open or they would get him with the darts as well. He couldn't even take cover in the trees since that was where Team Rocket had staked out for cover while Mewtwo was still recovering from the stress of his last battle.

Mewtwo mentally cursed himself as he teleported himself the only place he could—of course Team Rocket would take advantage of him while he was down!

Teleporting into the small pond, Mewtwo peered up through the surface to see a low-hovering ship just above the waters. Slinking behind the jutting cover of the rock he and Leila had shared, Mewtwo surfaced his nose and an ear to hear.

It was difficult to hear anything over the beat of the chopper wings, but he saw Lady Tremaine hauled effortlessly onto the ship by a Krookodile, several Team Rocket members following.

Mewtwo's heart beat fast as he read the lips of the blond girl—Domino, the Black Tulip—speaking into the communicator. As far as Mewtwo knew, it was something akin to, "mission accomplished" and "Mewtwo escaped with the other" and "lure him in."

_Lure me into what?_

As the ship took off, Mewtwo realized there was nothing he could do. Teleporting back to Leila, her eyes widened and she jumped to her feet.

"Mewtwo! Are you all right? You're all wet! Where's my mother?"

His headache began to throb more. "Leila, I . . ." He took a harsh breath, looking her square in the eyes. "Leila, your mother has been taken by Team Rocket." A little gasp of horror was enough to make Mewtwo wilt for failing, but he took her shoulders. "I—I don't know what they want with her. I . . . can't fathom of what use they could have of her."

Leila's lips quivered. "Can we help her?"

"Of course!" Mewtwo felt himself blurt even before he actually began thinking it through. "It will be hard, but I'm sure I could track her by her aura-print. I'm not extremely experienced in the area, but it's much like how you tracked me through the psychical residue left when I teleported."

Leila swallowed, wide eyes staring guilelessly at him. "But Mother didn't teleport."

Mewtwo nodded patiently. "That's why I would have to track her by aura-print. But, I . . . Leila, I'm going to need your help." Her eyes widened in wonder. Mewtwo nodded, taking both of her hands and gripping them tightly. "Leila, I'm not at full strength after attacking the Team Rocket base. I gain my truest strength when I meditate. That's what this is for," and he gestured to the tube connected to the back of his head. "It's like an extra neck you could say, full of extra nerves and veins to promote blood flow and sensory transmission to my brain."

Her mouth formed a little "o". "But you haven't meditated."

Mewtwo nodded vigorously. "No. So I'm not at full strength. Giovanni knows this, and that's why he attacked so quickly. We can't spare much time because I have no idea what Giovanni might do to your mother . . ." He drew a quick breath when he felt Leila's pulse race. "We'll eat something quickly, and give me only an hour to meditate —"

"Will an hour be enough—?"

"It will have to be," Mewtwo interrupted. He shuddered to think of what Giovanni would do to Lady Tremaine. "Then we'll move, and quickly." Seizing Leila's face in his hands, Mewtwo let his inner strength roll into her, a rock of solid reassurance for her fear. "Leila, I promise you, we WILL save your mother!"

Giovanni strode purposefully towards the landing helicopter, stopping short as the winds whipped angrily around them. The blades powered down in the literal backyard of the Viridian Gym, and after a waiting period of which Giovanni became more and more impatient, the Rocket Grunts began to exit the chopper. His brow rose in silent question as they came out with the Gardevoir very much out cold and locked inside one of their electrical cages.

Agent Domino strode forward quickly, clicked her heels together, and saluted. "Giovanni, sir! Capture is complete."

He made an impatient sound. "Yes, I can see that. Whatever happened to keeping her in full health? Why is she unconscious?"

A sheen of worried red stole over Domino's cheeks. "Um, yes, well she is in perfect health, sir! We had to use another tranquilizing dart because she fought so viciously when she woke up."

That brow rose higher. "Viciously?"

"Um . . . Y-Yes sir!"

Giovanni frowned, clasping his hands behind his back as he cast a glance to the grunts wheeling the cage into the gym. "I see . . . She was reported for only defensive moves. Teleport, Heal Pulse, Light Screen, Reflect, Protect, and Disable."

Agent Domino shifted uncertainly, but began to follow Giovanni into his gym. "Uh, n-not this time. She used a Psychic, Magical Leaf, Hypnosis, and Dream Eater."

Giovanni's brow finally pinched, darkening. "Is that so?" He flicked an uncaring hand. "Agent Domino, fetch me Agent Meowth."

A bewildered expression crossed her features, but she didn't question it. "Y-Yes sir!"

Giovanni ignored her as she raced off. Pensive, he reached the back room where they would keep the Gardevoir. The Rocket grunts disappeared quickly at a glare from Giovanni.

He peered at the Gardevoir lying motionless in the steel cage. She looked like her. She was smaller than most Gardevoir, and rather frail as well . . . Giovanni crossed his arms, ignoring his Persian as it prowled up to rub against his leg. Even the horn on her chest was minute and small as detailed. His eyes narrowed. Something was off, and it wasn't just that her moves hadn't paralleled to what he knew. Did Mewtwo teach her how to defend herself that quickly? Highly unlikely—he had been watching their every move.

The Gardevoir finally stirred with a little sound. She sounded like her. Hell, she even moved like her, dainty as she pushed herself to a sitting position, pressing a hand to her head. With another small sound, she rubbed the back of her neck where two dart marks had pricked her. Giovanni glared at her when she looked around, disoriented.

Her gaze collided into his, and he was fairly sure his suspicions had been correct when pure hate slashed across her features.

With a ferocious cry, the Gardevoir leapt to her feet and attacked with a bursting Psychic.

Giovanni watched impassively as the cage absorbed the attack and unleashed it twice as strong in the form of electricity. The Gardevoir shrieked in pain, pitching to her knees and twitching. Baleful pink eyes leered at Giovanni.

"Smart," he spoke caustically to her. "You learn quickly how to be a prisoner."

His words only piqued her again. Despite how it was clearly futile, she used a Magical Leaf—probably in the effort to get the leaves to slip between the bars. Still, the cage merely absorbed the attack and electrocuted her again. The Gardevoir hissed, condemning him to her own personal hell with only her cold eyes.

Giovanni felt his jaw clench at the Gardevoir in front of him.

Finally, Domino returned with Meowth, and before she could leave, he held out a hand. "Agent Domino," he said with unnerving calm, "why in such a hurry to leave? Stay for a minute as we work things out."

"U-Um, y-yes sir!"

Meowth eyed his Persian in jealously, but bowed regally. "What might'cha worship be needin' of me?" he asked.

"Tell me what she says, that is all," he said strictly. Giovanni stepped forward to the cage, looking down on the Gardevoir until she got up to her feet, glaring venomously at him. "You are here because of your _precious_ Mewtwo." A disgusted look crossed the Gardevoir's features, marred with utter hatred. "And when he comes to rescue you like the knight in shining armor he thinks he is, I will use you to enslave him again. After all, he'll do anything for his misguided conceptions of love."

The Gardevoir erupted in a flurry of shrieking words, and she lunged against the cage hands reaching out to grab him. Giovanni ignored how close her hands swiped to his suit and merely cocked his head for Meowth's translation.

A shocked look crossed Meowth's face. "W-What? W-Well, sir, she says he's not her _precious_ Mewtwo and she couldn't give two . . . erhm, putting it lightly, she doesn't care what you do with Mewtwo. In fact, she says it would be for the best. She doesn't like how he thinks he's in love with her daughter, and how her daughter thinks the same thing. She says you can have Mewtwo just as long as you leave her and her daughter alone. She—"

"That will be all, thank you," he said evenly. He could almost feel Domino sweating behind him. After a moment of silence, even the Gardevoir merely sneering at him in silence, Giovanni spoke.

"Her daughter."

"Um, w-well, um, it—I—"

He didn't listen to Domino fumbling for an explanation. He felt his face ruddy up as he turned the full force of his fury against her.

"YOU BROUGHT ME THE WRONG GARDEVOIR!"

Domino quailed with a squeak. "B-B-But sir! I'm sorry! It was a mistake—we nearly got them both, but Mewtwo escaped with the other—"

"And did it _not_ occur to you," Giovanni scowled, "that the first Gardevoir he lunged to protect would be the one he thinks he is in love with!" Giovanni swept a hand out to the offending one in the cage. "This is NOT her!"

"B-But he came to her rescue so quickly when she fell!" Domino squalled, backing away for fear of Giovanni striking her. "It—"

"I don't CARE for your excuses!" Giovanni fumed. He snatched Domino up by the front of her uniform, yanking her up to his face. She blanched of all color, sweat beading out on her upper lip as she grasped his arm, struggling to gasp in breaths through her fear.

Seething, Giovanni growled, "I don't care WHAT you have to do, bring me that Gardevoir, and bring her to me _alive!_" Slinging her to the floor, Giovanni fixated his threatening glare to her. "So help me if you fail me again, Domino . . . Get out of my sight, and don't bother returning if you don't have that Gardevoir!"

Domino bolted from the room like the devil was snapping at her heels. Brushing off his suit and straightening his tie, Giovanni cocked his head with half-attention when he heard the Gardevoir speaking softly.

"Uh . . ." Meowth seemed uncertain, but since even part of Giovanni's attention was on the Gardevoir's response, he decided to take it safe and translate. "S-She's asking what you want with her daughter."

Glancing at the Gardevoir, he smirked when he saw true worry etching its way across her face. "I plan to use her," he explained without much of any detail. "Depending on Mewtwo's cooperation, she may not get hurt . . . or she may suffer for his choices."

Striding from the room, he heard the Gardevoir erupt into hateful and pleading tones, but he left without so much as a twinge of regret.

A running Domino skidded across the floor, plopping on her butt she was trying to avoid Giovanni so much. Backing quickly away from him, she scrambled to her feet, poised to run at any moment. Only through sheer determination was she able to click her heels together and stammer out, "F-From the north—the—Mewtwo a-a-and the Gardevoir—th-they were spotted—"

Giovanni didn't wait for the rest of the report, but brushed by Domino brusquely. She cried out and quailed so hard she slammed into the hallway wall, but Giovanni ignored her, stalking to the open gym stadium where he would take challenges.

He smirked to himself. Mewtwo was foolish enough to try and attack while he wasn't at full strength. That would be the pokemon's folly. No doubt his pretty little Gardevoir had begged for him to save her mother, and now he was going to run straight into his ruin over her. His so called "love" was going to be his downfall.

Giovanni's lip curled. Perhaps this would turn out in his favor after all.


	13. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

**Okay, let me explain my inactivity.**

**Firstly, it's due to a God-awful writer's block. D: Like, SERIOUSLY? I've COMPLETELY lost what I'm doing with this story, but I still like what I've done with it. And quite literally, every time I think that I should chuck the story, SOMEONE ELSE COMES ALONG AND FAVS IT. So I'm taking that as God kicking me in the butt and telling me not to abandon it. I'm going to TRY and finish this someday and get some more chapters up, but…. Those updates are going to be few and far between, I'm sorry, I'm horribly lax as a writer…..**

**Also, this year in my senior year of high school so I am SLAMMED. Quite literally, college applications are kicking my ass and I have almost 4 hours of Advanced Placement English homework every night, compounded with Pre Calculus that is my mortal enemy…. D: I am quite literally drowning in homework that's all Greek to me (pun on me taking Greek and failing no matter how much I like it).**

**So, I'm crunching time for the other things I am writing, and I'm going through a TERRIBLE (wonderful) obsession with Transformers, Transformers Prime to be exact, and have two stories I'm working on. I'm finishing another that's got five more chapters TOPS (maybe not even that much) and then this that I feel so bad for not updating. Hopefully inspiration will hit soon (maybe when my birthday comes up this November and I might get Black and White 2? That'd be good inspiration I think….)**

**So despite not having updated in FOREVER, I'm telling you that I'm NOT giving up on this and I'll finish it someday, even if I have to bleed my brains dry.**


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